My Simple Little Life

I've Moved!

2010-01-01T23:13:00.000-05:00

I've moved!

You can now find me HERE

Please come on over and re-bookmark me! :)

See you there!

The Post of Christmas Past

2009-12-28T08:08:00.001-05:00

We had a lovely Christmas day. It started off with Chris and I alone at home. We had coffee, opened up our "half" stockings... Okay, short story here. We'd decided mid-year or so not to do anymore stockings, except for just the little girls. In an effort to just cut back a bit and simplify a bit and not obligate everyone else to them. But, as usual, Chris had already begun his stocking shopping - for me. He starts in, like, January, for pete's sake! I didn't know this, but as I put out my Christmas decorations in early December, I hung up all our stockings - cuz, well, they're CUTE! And as I glanced at them from time to time over the next few days, I thought maybe I'd sneak a few little things into Chris's stocking anyway - since it was going to be just us on Christmas morning. Then I found out that he'd already gotten me some stuff. So I said not to get me anymore and then I got a few things for Chris. So, back to Christmas morning, we both had a few things in there and, it was really nice. I love stockings.

And we had a giftie for each of the pets so, as we munched on our cinnamon rolls, we watched them play. Well, actually, a full-on cat fight almost took place, but everyone settled down once I picked up the catnip-stuffed mice off the floor. Geesh.

I got on the computer (of course) and "ran into" Matthew on facebook, so I got the condo number where they were in FL and we called and talked to them.

We'd been invited to Dustin and Emily's for dinner AND brunch, so we headed down there around 11 a.m. Eva met us at the door all lovely and excited. So, after we unloaded all the loot, we gave her and Maggie their stockings. Of course, Eva had fun helping Maggie with hers, too.

Dustin had made two DEEEElicious quiches. So we had those and then meandered back to the living room to open gifts. There's just nothing like watching the excitement of a child on Christmas morning. Eva helped Maggie with her gifts, too. Maggie really loved the wrapping paper. And pretty much anything that she could grab and stick in her mouth. She was SO animated and drooly all day. She and Emily did grab a little nap. Emily had a headache, but she was able to at least be downstairs with us all day and that was great. The Mags was quite congested, but she was happy happy happy.

At one point Dustin got out his guitar and Chris picked up the mandolin. D & E had gotten Eva a harmonica, so she joined in and, no lie, they really sounded GOOD! Chris got a video of it, you can see here.

Dustin did a pork roast on the grill and we had that along with a twice-baked potato casserole and - my fave - brussels sprouts. Dinner was YUMMY! We cleaned up and it was about 8 p.m by this time, so we headed home.

Here's some photos of the day:

So, here it is, Monday. Eva came and spent the night with us on Saturday and went to church with us Sunday. Then, we went down to Kellies to experience the mass pandemonium there. No really, it wasn't that bad. Bill and Julia, Ryan and family, Cathy and family and Beth and family were all there. Speaking of Cathy and family, that Sebastian - oh my goodness, he is so incredibly darling and such a sweet sweet boy. We hung out there and then took Eva home around 7 p.m. and headed home.

Beth and John and girls spent the night here. I woke up to a very strange thing. I think they call it a "sunrise". Wow. Very pretty. I should get up to see that more often! There's a dusting of snow - hope that's all we get, because M&M come home via the H-burg airport this afternoon. We're gonna do up a big breakfast this a.m. And then, after B & J take off late a.m., I need to get to work on finishing up M&M's handmade gift. We're going to exchange gifts with them on Wednesday.

I'm off!

Edited to add: I was just emailed that the mini calendars I made for gifties were posted on Little Dreamer Designs' blog. I got the digi kit (by Michelle Filo) there and had posted my project in their gallery! How cool! I'll show all my handmade Christmas projects in an upcoming post - after they're all given to the recipients! (After Wednesday) But you sneakie peek at the calendars by clicking on the link! Cool!

It's Here!

2009-12-25T09:33:00.001-05:00

Here's the song that I sang with my Praise Team buddy, Dave, last night. I love the words because Jesus IS what it's really all about. Hope you remember God's precious gift to us in Christ as you celebrate the day. Invite Jesus to His own party. And have a truly memorable and blessed Christmas!

MARVELOUS LIGHT

Lead us out of darkness and into your marvelous light

When we wander into valleys far from home
Where shadows hover over our souls
Find us in your mercy
Savior of the world

You are the light of the world (Jesus is the light)
You are the way, the truth and the life, (you are the life)
You are the light of the world (Jesus is the light)
Lead us out of darkness
And into your marvelous light

Sanctify our spirits
Purify our minds
As we look to you, eyes open wide
Give us understanding
Set our hearts on fire

You are the light of the world (Jesus is the light)

You are the way, the truth and the life, (you are the life)
You are the light of the world (Jesus is the light)
Lead us out of darkness And into your marvelous light

Give us understanding
Set our hearts on fire
Fill us with desire

You are the light of the world
You are the way, the truth and the life, (you are the life)
You are the light of the world (Jesus is the light)

You are the way, the truth and the life, (you are the life)
You are the light of the world (Jesus is the light)
Lead us out of darkness And into your marvelous light
Lead us out of darkness And into your marvelous light

I Still Can

2009-12-23T10:47:00.001-05:00

It's soooo nice to know that, now that I'm no longer a Fashionista, I can still make the catwalk over at SIStv. I still love that community so much, but ever since I stepped down from the wonderful design team, I've barely been a presence there. MY loss, too! But we did a LOT of traveling at the end of the summer on into the fall. And then I started working on Christmas presents (boy am I glad I started as early as I did!). I haven't even made a scrapbook layout ONCE in all that time. Mini albums, projects and stuff, yes, but no layouts. (But more on that in a later post...) I'm DYING to get back to it and I WILL - as soon as all the Christmas stuff is over with.

Here's the little project that I got on the catwalk for:

I made a whole bunch of 'em - 12 to be exact:

Some are for my "card ladies" - we exchanged gifties (9 of us) on Monday night and I sent one to my Mom and 2 are for friends and that leaves one - for ME! Here's another peek:

These puppies began as a digital kit. I printed out the little pages with the calendar on them, cut them out and then embellished away. They were much more time-consuming than I'd planned for - but, oh, SO much fun! You can see the whole calendar and the credits here.

So, thanks so much, Becca, dahling, for choosing my project for the catwalk. It means a lot to me that I can still "get there"! And I plan on get back to some much better SIStv time in the new year - not to mention being inspired all over again by the amazing artists there! Love 'em!

In other news, Matthew and Martha left this morning for Florida. Martha's sib's are all gathering there at her dad's for Christmas. I know they'll have a great time and, after all the Florida warmth - sunshine or not - I know they'll come back looking forward even more to their move back to AZ. Bah!

For Chris and I, it will be the first Christmas - in forever, I think - that we will be alone, just the two of us, on Christmas morning. I'm not gonna pretend - it will be strange. We ARE invited down to Dustin and Emily's to spend much of the day with them and the girls. I'm REALLY looking forward to that! I haven't seen the Mags in a couple weeks and, dang!, I miss her! Can. Not. Wait. That will be all the "Christmas" I need! Truly.

Today, we're cleaning up the house. I have to admit, I'll enjoy having things picked up. Okay. I'll LOVE having things picked up. We LOVE having M&M here, and if I had to choose them over a neat house, well, the choice is obvious. Sorry, M&M. No, just kidding. But, I DO enjoy a neat house. My mind is just much clearer.

And then we'll be wrapping gifts. Playing a little Christmas music. And then Chris has a bunch of stuff to do and while he's gone/busy, I will actually be starting his Christmas gift. Oy. NOTHING like waiting till the last minute! But, it's just the way it worked out. I haven't started M&M's gift yet, either - but at least I have till next Wednesday, when they're back and we're exchanging our gifts, to get that done.

SO - a big day, a busy day. I predict I'll be working into the night. Because tomorrow I have to do the banking stuff - I sure don't want to be doing it on Christmas day... I guess there's always Saturday, but that's too much to leave for Saturday...

I probably won't post again till after the big day - so, many wonderful blessings to you. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!

It's Winter!

2009-12-12T16:53:00.001-05:00

Yes, we've finally had some snow. We were all so excited to see it come, too, after seemingly summer-like weather (at least, more summer-like, almost, than summer itself!) for most of November. Of course, the first order of business was to build a snowman and, being that it was a very wet snow, he came together really well. However, just as he seemed to be sinking into a deep depression, a cold blast came through and froze his drooping little head in place. He looks like he needs a little encouragement, a little talking-to, a little counseling, a little anti-depressant, doesn't he? Too funny! :)

This is some of the lovely goodness that happens when it's Martha's night to cook. She made three pizzas from scratch this past week; traditional, carmelized onion with bbq chicken and an apple-feta combo with other yummy stuff thrown in there. Yeah, deeeelish!

And we were all SO excited and happy for Martha who showed (and sold) her fabulous Christmas "to-diarama-for" boxes at the 1st Friday event at Trimtex. It was all so fun and festive and everyone just loved her work. Here's a little sample of one of her boxes:

They're so festive and happy, aren't they?

Well, speaking of festive and happy, Eva has joined us for the evening. She'll spend the night and go to church with us tomorrow. And then we're having a little Christmas "talent show" tomorrow tonight including skits, songs from the kids and special numbers. I'll be singing "It's Christmastime" by Caedmon's Call with my friend Carol and with Matthew accompanying on guitar. In fact, he'll be playing all the congregational hymns. Should be great. I hope the predicted freezing rain doesn't materialize.

Off to play with Eva now while Matthew and Martha whip up a lovely smoked chicken dinner! Yum!

Crankin' up to BUSY!

2009-12-03T11:56:00.001-05:00

Just a quickie post today. I've got the church finances and my own finances (bill paying, checkbook balancing, robbing Peter to pay Paul, etc.) to get to in a minute. And so much more. I've had my quiet time today - but, admittedly, it was hard to concentrate with all that's swimming around in my mind. Not the least of which is that I was in the midst of a horrible nightmare last night when God graciously awoke me before I got to the part where I would be screaming out loud and then Chris would have to wake me. Thank you, Lord. But that didn't stop the utter feeling of terror flooding over my body - it almost felt like nausea. I got up and went to the bathroom and came back to bed and turned on the light to read a magazine for a while in the hopes of getting the horrid images out of my mind. Just about that time a big ol' windy storm blew up, pelting the roof with rain and stuff blowing off the trees. Oy. I just prayed that God would remove that dream from my mind and bring me peaceful sleep. I'm so grateful that He did.

So, I've done my Wii Active 6-wk challenge workout this morning. I'll tell ya. I am SO inspired by those "Biggest Loser" people. When stuff hurts (like my feet in the skipping rope part) I just keep thinking of all the hard work they pushed themselves to do. I'm just hating the way I'm looking in photos and I'm re-determined - again - (redundant, I know) to get GOING. I even walked yesterday even though I think I have a mild case of walking pneumonia. It was a good cardio workout today and I came upstairs afterwards sweating. Yay. Yay for sweat. Yeah.

So, all the boxes of Christmas decorations are sitting in my living room. And I'm in the midst of working on handmade Christmas projects. (Obviously, I can't post photos here...) There's SO much to do and I'm starting to feel the panic of not getting it all done. Okay, breeeeeaaaaatttthhhhhe, Jan. Tonight there's Praise Team practice and I know I can't sing right now. That should be interesting.

So, here's my "to do" list for the rest of the day:

Church banking
Personal bankin
Work on calendar project
"Un"decorate living room area
Clean off surfaces
Put together Praise Sunday song service
Help make dinner
Go to Praise Team Practice

Let's see how much of that I can get done. Let's see if I can start by getting off this computer! :)

Thankful

2009-11-28T17:18:00.002-05:00

Well, Thanksgiving is over and it was, indeed, a lovely gathering. I took on the role of cleaning nazi for a couple days, but then, by about 1 p.m. on Thanksgiving day, with everything as cleaned and prepped as it could be, I was able to get gussied up and kick back and really enjoy the rest of the day. Everyone arrived all at once at about 4:45 p.m. - about 1/2 before we sat down to eat. I was able to snap a group photo before we all sat down:

The food was fabulous. I just wish that the eating of it, and the conversation and just the whole scene around the table could last longer. It seems to be over so fast. And, due to my little quirk of never being able to eat much while entertaining, the food was really a blur. Though, I did manage to eat plenty, it went down, went by, went away - way too fast. However, we had leftovers last night - and they were incredible!

Here's a few other photos of my table. I wanted to keep it more simple than last year, but warm and colorful. I think I got that accomplished:

And here's a little pumpkin/turkey guy that Chris put together:

Chris and Eva also made some leaves, and I hung a ribbon, and we asked everyone to write down on a leaf what they were particularly thankful for this year. Then the leaves were hung on the ribbon. We read them aloud while eating dessert (though not at exactly the same time!). Little Maggie was adorable. Eva was not feeling well and wasn't quite herself - she didn't eat much, but still seemed to enjoy herself.

I am SO thankful for my family. They mean so much to me. And my home. I love it so much and fully appreciate the gift and the blessing that it is to live here. And my country. I'm so very thankful to have been born in the time and place that I was. I think we take it for granted so often. And, yes, our country has its faults and problems, but I really do love it here.

So, fast forward to today. Now, I'm feeling sick again. I've developed a cough over the past 24 hours or so and my chest is feeling heavier by the hour. I actually had to get up in the night to take something because it was keeping me awake. Dang! And I was just enjoying feeling my energy return after being sick just a couple weeks ago. Ugh. I could go crawl onto the couch and curl up right now. In fact, I think I will.

It'll all be okay. Many blessings to you...

Holiday Time

2009-11-25T10:39:00.003-05:00

The holidays are upon us! Hard to believe - but then I'm always saying how I can't believe whatEVER the date on the calendar is. I guess it's just a sign of how old I'm getting. You know, the whole 'time goes faster the older you get'. Well, it does. And it is.

So, here we are on the day before Thanksgiving 2009. Last Friday, Williamsport hosted its second annual holiday parade. We went last year and just about froze our complete patooties (and everything else) off. This year it was a comparatively mild 40-something degrees. What a difference. It definitely hightened our enjoyment of the parade. However, whomever organized it should be fired. The time lags between the different "legs" of the parade were unbelieveable. First, they started a half hour late. Then, when they FINALLY got under way, the first two segments went by and then there was this 1/2 hour long "show" in front of the announcers stand (which, bravo for us, we sat next to) that held everthing up even further. Um, couldn't they have done that BEFORE the parade started - like in the 1/2 hour while we were all WAITing for it to start? It was all too slow and too far apart. The only thing (besides the lovely weather) that made it worth it was Eva's enjoyment of the whole thing. And the fact that Maggie, who was quite unhappy in the restaurant, was sleeping peacefully throughout the entire horn-blowing, engine-revving, band-drumming spectacle. Here's a few pics I snapped...

Yep, love the utter glee on her face. :)

So, the cornbread is baked, the cranberry sauce is gelled and the turkey is on ice. Today is clean up day around here. I'll be re-decorating a little. The dining room table goes under cover out on the deck (because it's raining a little, not because it's pretending to be a narc) and the rental table and chairs come in. The bathroom will get shined up and the kitchen will get scrubbed up. And we'll make it all pretty for our dinner for 12 tomorrow. The dreaded chores of today WILL yield to a great family gathering time tomorrow. So, because of that, I'll suck it up and get going.

May you look around you and find endless things to be thankful for tomorrow - and everyday. And may God, the Giver of all good things, continue to richly bless you and yours.

Feeling Digitally Creative

2009-11-17T14:19:00.005-05:00

I logged on to check my email this morning and saw a new mini-digi kit from Peppermint Creative and thought to myself, "self, you haven't done a digi page since One Little Word folded up their cyber-tent." I was planning on blogging a little this a.m. anyway, so I purchased the kit and made the page below. Ah, that felt good!

As usual, I have SO many scrapbooking projects swimming around in my head. Looking at scrapbooking and mixed media art magazines before going to sleep only feeds that ever-growing ocean of ideas. It sometimes overwhelms me because, even though I don't work outside of my home, I feel I'll never live long enough to be able to get them all done. And I want to use all my pretty stuffs NOW! So I take a deep breath and remind myself that I'll do the best I can and be thankful that I will probably never enter my scraproom, sit down at my desk and go, "now what?". Sigh.

So, here's the page I made this morning. My dear friend Deborah, who shares the title of "grandma" with me (though she chooses not to use it) took the darling photo on the page.

(Page credits may be found here)

With that, I must skedaddle off of here and finish my grocery list for tomorrow as well as get back to my currant Christmas scrapping project. And, now that it's 2:30 p.m., I'm gonna eat lunch, too.

A new visitor!

2009-11-15T07:31:00.003-05:00

Emily brought up both girls on Friday! It was little Maggie's first visit to our house and we were so thrilled to finally have her here! She was pretty happy about it, too, as she just spent so much time looking all around at all the new surroundings. She was so alert and so happy. How fun!

The occasion was a little birthday celebration for Emily, who just turned 24 last Wednesday. I made the ice cream sandwich cake again, which is becoming a fast favorite. Here's the very simple recipe:

6 - 8 ice cream sandwiches
1 c. whipping cream
2 T. powdered sugar
candy bar of your choice, cooled and chopped roughly

Line your loaf pan with a sheet of waxed paper, with several inches hanging over each edge. Add the sugar to the whipping cream and whip until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Work quickly now! Line a loaf pan with waxed paper. Then place a layer of sandwiches on the bottom, cutting to fit as needed. Spread half the whipped cream on top. Add a second layer of sandwiches and the remaining whipped cream. Add the chopped candy bar to the top and press in slightly. Fold the waxed paper over the top and stick in the freezer for at least an hour and definitely for longer if you'd like. When it's time to serve, let sit at room temp for a few minutes. You can even (carefully!) run some tepid water along the sides of the loaf pan to loosen the ice cream from the edges. Run a knife carefully along the insides if necessary. The waxed paper should enable the ice cream to pull away from the edges. Invert the "cake" onto a plate and it will pop out of the pan. Remove the waxed paper and slice. You'll get 8 slices. YUM!

While Emily was here she handed me her camera, which is the very same kind I owned previously to my SLR, so I was able to download all her photos for her. And I found some of these gems (and many more!) among her pics:

She looks so dang cute while on her tummy holding up her (not so little) head. Just LOVE the "jowls". I could eat her up. Seriously. I can't believe she 4 months old already...

I love it when the kids used to fix Eva's hair like this. They did it when it was longer. She just looks so darling. And, well, she IS!

My two precious little granddaughters. Look how Maggie's head is almost as big as Eva's. That's the Barlow big-head for ya.

Well, today we are looking forward to a long-awaited music event happening at the Elk Creek Cafe and Aleworks out in Milheim, PA (near State College). One of our new very favorite ever bands, Chicken Tractor, will be playing, along with a boatload of other similar type bands. Here's the line-up and description. It's a benefit for Penns Valley Hope Fund, a local organization that assists families facing sudden and unexpected financial and health crises (see their website at: www.pennsvalleyhopefund.com), and the Aaronsburg Area Library. And the super-cool thing is that I actually won 2 tickets for the event. The cover charge is $10 per person, so we'll be saving twenty buckaroos! We'll have to leave church right after the song service, as this place is an hour away and you can't make reservations. And we expect it will be pretty crowded. There's about 10 of us going down. Can't wait. Should be a great time.

And, so, I better eat my breakfast and get ready for church, which is first on our agenda today! Have a blessed day...

2009-11-11T15:47:00.003-05:00

I can't believe my knockout rose is still blooming! In mid-November. Surely, this must be the final one. It's almost been nicer out these last couple weeks than it was most of the summer. Matthew and Martha even took their cathedral game outside on the deck to play. Lovely.

We've all been dealing with various degrees of illness for the past week. It hasn't been anything too severe, but it just keeps hanging on, morphing into something else just when you think it's about over and then going for a few more days. Oy. I'm sooooo tired of feeling like crap. I hope I didn't make a mistake (contagious-wise) by keeping a date with Emily to watch Maggie while she went to a doc's appointment. This time I was able to stay at home with the Mags so I brought my camera. Chris came down to bring me my forgotten breakfast and I got some darling shots of him with her. You can see she's quite the reader now...

What a great way to brighten my day - Maggie time! I sure hope I don't make her sick. That would be bad. Bad Gramma Jan.

I go to bed at night looking at scrapping magazines and then dreaming of all the projects and layouts I want to make. I'm almost done with my first Christmas project. But, again, my illness has slowed me down majorly this week. So, I hope I can get back to it all SOON! I'm so craving some creative time!

Okay, now I'm exhausted. Bye.

November Changes

2009-11-03T18:44:00.003-05:00

It's a new month. Things have changed.

The time has changed. It was dark so early today. I don't think I'm ready for that yet! But I'll let it go since the days have been glorious and sunny ever since November has been ushered in. It's getting a tad chilly, too. I had to toss most of my mums. They're done. And there's leaves everywhere. I think it's about time to gather 'em up (coughcoughChriscoughcough). Before the SNOW flies! Ugh. Perish the thought. I'm definitely not ready for that!

The other big change around here is that Matthew and Martha are in da house again. This time, it's on their way out of the state as opposed to last time when it was on their way in to the state. Sigh. It's going to be really hard to see them go (back to AZ). But I'm not going to think about it now. Instead, I'll just enjoy the time we have with them until they depart in March.

I guess there was no other way to discover that AZ, not PA, is where they want to truly settle and put down their roots once and for all, than to actually move here and experience the change. They discovered that, while they do love being near family, they are truly "westerners" and not "easterners". I understand that because my family is all in the midwest and I'm not a "midwesterner". So, fine. What can I say? (I already tried "no!", but that didn't work.) They want to work towards buying a house out there. We informed them that there must be a bedroom in it for us - or a place for us to park a camper - so that when Chris retires (insert me rolling my eyes, here), we can spend the winters there. We'll see.

In other news, I'm into working on Christmas presents at the moment. I may actually get them done before Thanksgiving! What a concept! Here's a sneak peak of my current project:

It's a secret/surprise, though, so I won't give any details here. And I won't tell ya about the other projects I have planned. They'll appear here eventually - but not now. Neener neener. :P

So, Martha's concocting some fabulous veggie calzones with a whole wheat crust and feta cheese and other deeeelicious healthy stuffs. YUM! They're cooking now and we're getting ready to go and consume them. Um, that's a change I can live with! :)

We Danced...

2009-10-27T12:02:00.004-04:00

We really didn't think our annual Dancin' on the Deck party was going to happen this year. In fact, we'd kind of decided not to have it, especially since I/we were gone so much of September, when we usually have it. But since D&T and M&M are moving to AZ before we'd see another autumn in PA, and knowing that they really looked forward to it, we decided to go ahead and try. So we scheduled it for the 2nd weekend in October, hoping that the weather wouldn't be too bad by then. But people dropped out like flies due to, mainly, illness. So, we tried for the following weekend, but the weather reports weren't good and we finally called it on Saturday and said we'd give it one last try for this past weekend.

The dancin' gods were with us (so to speak) because, even though not everyone originally invited could come on this particular date, we did have 10 people - not too much smaller of a gathering than usual. And the weather? Stellar. It was a gorgeous clear, starlit night. A little chilly, but that's actually ideal when you're dancing your heart out. And that we did. I'd have to say it was probably one of the BEST DotD parties evah.

One of the best things we did was ask each couple to burn a CD of about 5 of their fave dance tunes. We were afraid (Chris was afraid) that no one would actually get their act together to do this. But, possibly due to all the postponements, everyone DID come through. So, we threw everyone's CD on the player and "shuffled" the mix. It was a blast not only dancing to all the different KINDS of songs, but also guessing WHO picked WHAT song. It really was FUN!!!

So, now we're inspired to do it again next year, even though we'll be missing two of our most favorite dancin' couples. :( We told them that whenever they come back for visits, we'll have an honorary DotD party!

It's random laundry day around here. And I'm continuing to work on my biggest Christmas project, so I'm off to get at it. Soon, M&M will be living here (this week) and I know I will be (happily) distracted by their presence. (Yes, we get 4 months - or so - of them here at the house before they head back to AZ for good. They're goin' out just like they came in by spending 4 months with us. It will be a bittersweet time...)

October Rain

2009-10-24T11:47:00.002-04:00

Last week we had snowflakes in the air. Today, we're getting pummeled with rain. That's October for ya. Can't make up her mind. At least we had some glorious and fairly warm days in between. And we're taking one more stab at having our annual Dancin' on the Deck party tomorrow. It's supposed to clear up and be near 60 during the day, chilly at night, but we should be creating plenty of warmth with all our hot dance moves. Uh huh. We'll see. Since my hip has been giving me a ton of pain lately, maybe I'll hide behind my camera lens instead.

Look at these two babies. Aren't they so cute? They get along quite well at this point. Obviously, they're very comfortable with each other. The most remarkable thing that you can see in this photo is that Rocky, the white one, is 15 years old and Beatrix is only 4 months old. I think she's going to be much bigger than him, since she's already AS big as him! He's always been a runt, though. She's spayed now. I'd say it's slowed her down a tad. She was ca-razy before and now she's just a frisky, playful kitty as you would expect. When she's not running around, she's just the most affectionate, sweet thing. And her gorgeous fur is sooooo incredibly soft. I sure do love my kitties!

I took this photo last week. It's the last blooming thing in my garden at this point. Everything else is just spent or has gotten bitten by the frost we had last week. This is from a knock-out rose bush. I learned about them when I worked at Penn College because there was one outside my window and I was always amazed at how many blooms it put out and for how long. So I asked the gardening person about it. Yep. Knock-out rose. We put ours in this year and it has not disappointed. A gorgeous rose is my favorite flower.

Last weekend when Eva came up, we had a little cooking project. Chris found this cookbook where you make healthy stuff for kids by "sneaking" in healthy ingredients. And then, theoretically, they gobble up the good stuff. We thought these cookies would be a great thing to have on hand for a hungry little girl that likes sweet stuff. We (and especially me) don't want to be giving her junk food and unhealthy crud. So, she very enthusiastically helped make the cookies (with the same happy attitude that she has no matter what she's doing). And, though she quite sweetly posed for the photo of her tasting the results, unfortunately, that was the last bite she took. She sort of set the cookie down on the table after that and very politely said nothing - but ate no more of it, either. Ha! Well, Chris and I happily ate the rest of them over the week. They weren't very sweet at all. But, really, that's what I found the most appealing! But not miss Eva. Oh well, chalk that one off the list! :)

So, on this ugly, rainy day, I need to dust and clean the bathroom and then get the song service for tomorrow together. I'll have to push myself to do the cleaning. Not my favorite thing to do. Sigh. But, alas, it must be done. What I'd REALLY like to do is go cuddle up on the couch with my kitties, a blankie, some hot tea and my book. Not bloody likely, though. Nice try.

A Few Prompted Thoughts...

2009-10-16T10:18:00.003-04:00

I thought it would be fun this morning to borrow these little prompts that I saw on Ali Edwards' blog. She credits them below.

Inspired by The Simple Woman's Day Book. I did one entry last June and felt like it was time to do it again. (says Ali)

Outside my window...the deck is wet with the rain - and snow - of the past two days. And pretty little colored leaves are scattered all over.

I am thinking...about my daughter-in-law's dr. appt. today (a neurologist for help with her constant headaches) and hoping that he gives her real help.

I am thankful for...the fact that I can stay home and determine how I spend my days. Still so thankful for that.

From the kitchen...a whole lotta nuthin'. We determined that we'd not get groceries this week and just make meals from what we have. We've done well. There's barely anything left!
I am wearing...navy sweat pants, a tee with a comfy red sweater over it, socks and slippers

I am creating...something I've been meaning to start for a long time. Shhhh - it's a secret!

I am going...to start scrapping as soon as I'm done with this post. Sweet.

I am reading...Brennan Manning's Ruthless Trust. Just started yesterday. I'm already inspired and challenged. I just finished My Life in France by Julia Child. A friend gave it to me for a quick, fun read and it was just that. My next fiction up is Abundance: a novel of Marie Antoinette by Sena Jeter Naslund (Ahab's Wife). That should make me appreciate my simple little life all the more!

I am hoping...to see both of my granddaughters within the next couple days. (I go through withdrawal without them...)

I am hearing...the fan of the wood furnace going (indicating that cold weather is here to stay) and Chris fixing his breakfast.

Around the house...things are neat and tidy and it clears up my head like you wouldn't believe!

One of my favorite things...this second cup of coffee in front of the computer.

A few plans for the rest of the week...we may go see "Where the Wild Things Are" tonight. Hope to pick up Eva for an overnight Saturday and get a visit in with Maggie, too (aforementioned granddaughters). We were planning our annual "Dancing on the Deck" party for last Sunday, but too many people were sick so we postponed til this Sunday. But it looks like the weather's not going to cooperate. We'll go back to "plan A" next year which will be to have it in September when the weather's milder. But I was gone too much this September.

A picture to share...Chris took the photo - and I photoshopped it - of me walking along Pine Creek on our recent trip to the Cedar Run Inn. Lovely.

I won!

2009-10-15T10:10:00.007-04:00

Wow. I won the word challenge at One Little Word - for the second time. I'm SO honored and blessed - and humbled. The two I've won for have been about real personal challenges I have and, well, it keeps me accountable! :) This is the layout I won the challenge with:

Here's the link to the announcement on One Little Word.

In other new, the leaves are getting really nice around here. Emily took the girls over to her mom's (also my long-time friend, Deborah) and they had a little photo shoot. So, these are photos by Deborah Leverette Shaw, but I just wanted to share them here because they're just so gorgeous and, well, they're my (our) grandchildren! ;)

Isn't this last one just beautiful? Sigh.

Oh, the hot tub guy just came and - YAY - it was only a fuse. I've been freezing around here lately and one of the ways I love to warm up is to hop in the hot tub. And, people, prime hot tub season has begun. But, Chris opened it up the other day and the panel was blank. Dang. So we set a limit as to how much we'd be willing to spend. As much as I LOVE that thing, it's over 10 years old and we're not willing to put tons of $$$ into it at this point. BUT. As I said - thank goodness it was just a fuse.

Ironically, the new word up at One Little Word is "grateful". Would it be too superficial if I made my layout about being grateful for my hot tub? Because I am really grateful for it. Just sayin'.

Of course, now I won't be freezing for a while because Chris also just lit up the wood furnace and it makes it quite toasty in here. Kinda kills the hot tub desires. I just never feel like getting in there when I'm already good and hot, thank you very much. :( Hopefully, he'll be able to tone down the temp a bit.

Oh, and here's more exciting news. (Kidding.) The first snow flakes were out there today. Mixed in with rain, yes, but there it is. Well, I guess it's not that unusual. I do have photos of snow on my beautifully colored fall leaves. But I am SO not ready! Ugh! And "snow" is forecast for Friday and Saturday. I have no idea if a) it will come and/or b) it will accumulate. I'm just simply not ready for that. However, it will be interesting to see how much easier driving will be now that we have the two new vehicles. My Matrix is all-wheel drive and Chris's truck is 4-wheel drive. I'm sure we'll see all too soon enough.

Okay, it's banking day and it 11 a.m. already. I've gotta get to it. Have a good one!

Aaccktober

2009-10-03T01:17:00.005-04:00

Here I am again - stunned that another month is just... GONE! Admittedly, I have been away most of the month. I just returned from yet another week away, visiting my mom in Madison, WI. We had a great visit together. I even managed to get her out twice to two of our fave restaurants. She seemed in really good spirits. We played games, did crosswords, chatted and laughed. Her situation hasn't really changed much. In fact, I'd say it's gotten a little worse and being her sole caretaker during the day presented its, er, challenges. It will help to have Chris along in some respects and he will go with me next time - in the spring. (Oooo, that almost sounds ominous, doesn't it? Here we are, at the threshold of fall and I'm talking about spring. And we all know what must come in between... I'm SO not ready for that yet! It seems like we just got done with, with, you know, the "w" word.) But, all in all, it was a good time together.

I stayed in a nice hotel in the evenings (I was at my mom's from 10 a.m. to 8-8:30 p.m. daily) and discovered their belgian waffle maker on the 2nd morning. Yikes. And one of mom's caretakers, our beloved Gail, gave me an hour and a half out one day and I went to Archiver's. Oh, joy! What luxury! :)

I did miss Dustin's 29th birthday party and a great family gathering on Sunday night. :( I'll share a photo or two that Chris took in a future post. Of course, I had to run down to squeeze my two granddaughters the day I got back. Ahhhhh. I was definitely suffering grandma withdrawal...

And, speaking of withdrawal, I'm sooooo longing to get some paper scrapping done. My scrap room is so lovely, with some new goodies awaiting my attention. But, I have yet to get in there. It's hard both catching up from being away and preparing to leave again - all in the same week. And, guess what? I'm doing that very same thing yet again this week. On Wednesday - after having been home exactly one week - we will take our annual fall excursion north to the lovely Cedar Run Inn for three days, two nights. Fabulous food. Gorgeous scenery. And relax, relax, relax. It's always wonderful and I do look forward to it.

But THEN....then I can come home and BE home for, well, til spring! And scrap room, here I come!

I did manage to get another digi done today for One Little Word's present prompt: open. It's pretty, um, open. It's kind of hard to know how much is too much to say sometimes. But I do want to be honest at the same time and share myself. So, here's my layout:

(Click on image to view larger. Page credits: distressed edge overlay by Trish Jones; green stitches, heart by Gina Marie Huff; circle overlay by Jan Barlow; texture brush by noctourniquet texture tiles 1; gold brad by LivE for Jessica Sprague; paper hearts by Patricia Christensen; cross stitches, ticket by Heidi Williams; muslin strip by Jen Wilson; Fonts: Artiststamp Medium (quote); Bleeding Cowboys (“open”); Century Gothic (journaling)

Seeing that it's after 1:30 a.m. (even though I can sleep in tomorrow) I feel the need to crawl in bed. Later...

away I go again...

2009-09-22T11:01:00.003-04:00

Yep, today I'm packing for yet another trip. This time I'm going out to my mom's in Madison for a week. Just me. Chris will be home holding down the fort. I'm flying, of course. You know, I used to LOVE to fly. I remember back when people actually used to get dressed up to fly. These days, you might as well dress comfortably because they're gonna squeeze you into that plane like a sardine. Not to mention you better wear shoes that come off and on easily, because you're gonna have to take them off to get through security. And, now that I have a hip replacement, I get the pleasure of being set off to the side and "wanded" each and every time I fly. They don't feed you a crumb and on some flights you even have to pay for a drink - of any kind. Oy. Nope, it ain't fun anymore at all. It's just transportation. I try to always get an aisle seat as close to the front as possible so I can 1) stretch out at least one leg and 2) get up and OUT asap after we land. But still, I do try to make the best out of the situation and look at it as at least some free time to read if nothing else.

My week home between trips has been pretty busy. We got home late day Monday and on the next Tuesday I had a hair and pedi appointment as well as a visit to my chiropractor and a trip to the grocery store. It made for a long day. Wednesday was all about cleaning up the house because I hosted our women's bible study that night. Just before the study began, we found out that Emily was going to the ER and didn't want to take the baby and could we come and babysit the girls. Time is suspended in the ER, you know, so we knew that meant pretty much an over-nighter and then getting Eva off to school the next day because Dustin had to work at 6:30 a.m. So Chris headed down and as soon as my study was over, I went down to relieve him since he had to work the next day. Dustin was working late and I wanted to stay so he could get some sleep before heading out so early the next day. I slept on the couch and tuned in to the baby. I hadn't seen Maggie for about 3 weeks (that's another story) so at least I had LOTS of sweet Maggie time. Emily got in around 5 a.m. and, of course, wanted to go straight to bed. Gary came over to help get Eva off since Dustin had to leave so early. After Eva left, I got Maggie back to sleep and grabbed another hour of sleep myself. Dustin got home around 2 p.m. and I stayed until around 4 p.m. so he could go get some food and pick up Eva from school and etc.

So - that was my Wednesday night and pretty much all day Thursday. Since I wasn't able to do my church and personal financial stuff on Thursday as I usually do, I had to do it all on Friday. And, believe me, after being gone for 9 days, doing 2 weeks of finances for both the church and myself is a huge task. But, I got 'er done and Chris and I were able to eat out (at Joy Thai - YUM!) and then see a really good movie - "Away We Go". Loved it.

Saturday, I had to run some more errands and get the song service for Sunday ready and then Chris brought Eva home and she spent the night and went to church with us Sunday. After church, we took her to get some new sneakers and a few other things we wanted to stock up for her at our house. We wanted to bestow our Vineyard gifts on D&E when we took Eva home, but Dustin was working and Emily, who had been out with Deborah wasn't home. We waited about 45 minutes and by the time she got there we couldn't stay long because we had a business meeting at church. M&M came over after that for a much-needed time of relaxation and spades (in which we, ahem, killed 'em).

Monday, yesterday, I hosted our monthly card "club" - we play pinochle - so I had a bunch of cleaning and prep to do for that. But Emily asked me if I could come and watch the girls while Dustin took her to an early (and I mean EARLY) dr.s appt. So I got up at 6:30 a.m., got down there at 7:20 p.m. and stayed til around 10 a.m. Chris did come down and help with Eva, so I wouldn't have to wake Maggie to take Eva to school. By the time I got home I was so tired. I did squeeze a little nap in between all my cleaning - which I did a lot of. There were some things that just really needed deep cleaning. And then I had a great time with my card gals.

So, today, I must do the church finances before I leave again tomorrow. And pay a few of our own bills so nothing is late. And then, I have to pack because we'll be leaving around 8:30 a.m. in the morning for the airport in H-burg. Chris is going to drive me so I don't have to leave the car there and pay for that and deal with the shuttle. And I have to get to the office so Chris can adjust me. He says he might be able to do something for my hip which has just been killing me lately. Especially when I'm in bed (trying to sleep). That will be later, then I anticipate some crash time in front of the tube this evening.

Maybe it's a good thing I am going away tomorrow. Because maybe I'll get some rest! After this trip, the only other trip we have scheduled is our little get-away to Cedar Run in October for 2 nights and 3 days. And that is always like a big, collective sigh of relaxation.

We've had some gorgeous weather this week. Very fall-like with chilly temps at night and only reaching the lower 70's (if that) during the day. But beautifully sunny with those gorgeous blue skies. When Eva came Saturday, she had spied the little squirt gun that I'd been using to keep the kitty off the counter and she wanted to play with that so I sent her out the back door to sneak up on Chris and squirt him. Which she did with GREAT delight! And, of course, Chris - who can't do anything half way (remember, Mr. "Invincible"?) got out the super soakers and filled up a bucket and they went at it with each other. I just love hearing Eva's squeals of laughter. It was kind of chilly out, but that didn't stop them from completely soaking each other. Afterwards, we plopped into the freshly cleaned hot tub and she loved that, too.

So, back to Martha's Vineyard... We all decided to take a lovely stroll down the beach - we were at Abel's Hill Beach this day - practically all by ourselves. It was fabulous. The surf was fantastic. Well, for boogie-boarding, anyway. I would stand at the edge of the water and when a wave came in, it just pulled the sand out from under my feet. So, we were all walking along quite a ways down beach from where we had set up our chairs and stuff and Katy (Martha's mom) sees something get washed onto the shore, so she picked it up. It just happened to be a watch. Chris's watch, in fact, that he had lost into the ocean about an hour earlier and that we never thought we'd see again. And we wouldn't have, had we not been walking by that particular spot at that particular moment, because it would have been washed right back out again... Amazing!

Okay, so I'm off to do that banking stuff. And pack. See ya on the other side! :)

to Martha's Vineyard and back

2009-09-19T00:52:00.006-04:00

Chris and Martha and Matthew and I headed to Martha's Vineyard (to stay with Martha's mom, Katy) for 9 days. And I do feel like we had a proper farewell to summer. We had four beach days, three of them just stellar. And I even can say that I got me a pretty nice tan. Yeah, so it's already starting to fade. But I know it's there and that's all that matters. Geesh. I don't even know what that means.

First things first. I was just barely able to complete a digi layout for One Little Word's current prompt: invincible. Even though we were gone and I've been crazily getting caught up since our return Monday night, I really wanted to do this layout. Because invincible just makes me think of Chris and how he's always doing crazy fun stuff - or just plain crazy stuff. In this case, I just happened to catch a photo of him boogie-boarding while on the Vineyard, so I just thought it all tied in so well - and what a great memory to save, too. Here's the layout:

As always, you can click on the image to make it larger. Credits: Patterned paper by Patricia Christensen; Fonts – Tiza (title); Century Gothic (subtitle and journaling); Wave, stitched frame by Audrey Neal; Swirl stitching by Kristen Cronin-Barrow; Stitched journaling strips by Katie Pertiet; Swirls paper by Gina Marie Huff

Here's the original photo and a few others from the trip - and I mean just a few - I took over 250 pics. And I apologize to Matthew for cutting him out of the photo on the layout. He's pretty invincible, too. But not as much as Chris! :)

This old boat was "parked" just down the road a bit from Katy's house. I thought it looked so cool sitting there in the field amongst the wildflowers.

This is the lighthouse at Gay Head on the east end of the island.

And these last two are on the beach at Gay Head. I'd have to say it was one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen.

We had a great 9 days. We ate a ton of seafood, pretty much drove from one end of the island to the other, played some games, relaxed, read, did a little shopping and had a lot of laughs.

I've had a lot going on this week as well including hosting our women's fellowship, appointments to keep, babies to watch and cuddle and 2 weeks worth of church and personal bill-paying and checkbook balancing to catch up on - and I'm only halfway through my week home before I head out for another week to visit my mom in Madison.

It's late. I'll try to post again before I leave. I have more to say. But I'm too tired to say it right now...

2009-08-31T23:43:00.007-04:00

I just want to share a couple new layouts. The first one was a sketch challenge by my totally lovable FGirl friend Angie at SIStv. She gave us the basic sketch design and then added five things we needed to include on the layout. Here's the thread with her challenge. And here's the layout I made:

In addition to the basic design, we were to have a stamped image (I stamped the script words onto the yellow circle), the word "live", the color yellow somewhere, a monochromatic patterend paper (see the dots on the yellow circle?) and a flower somewhere.

I totally love a challenge like that because it gives you the parameters of a layout, narrowing the gazillion of possibilities available to you. For me, this is good. Scrapbooking - especially in my very well-stocked scrap room - is like going into a retaurant that has an extensive menu. I find that overwhelming sometimes because it's really hard to choose what to have. So, with a sketch and defined elements, it really helps me to focus rather than to slip into a mindless, glazed-over stupor, just staring at my desk with drool dripping out my mouth. Know what I mean? :)

And here's my latest digi for One Little Word's 59th prompt: beauty.

I love to use a play on words for my titles. The page credits can be found here. If you click on the image (as always) you can read the journaling a little better.

In other news, Matthew and Martha went camping - finally (and maybe for the last time this summer!) - yesterday. We drove down and sat around the campfire at their very scenic campsite overlooking Lake Jean at Rickett's Glen State Park. We doggie-sat Taco, so they came back today to pick him up. They had picked a ton of wild blueberries, so I whipped up a "Huckleberry" Buckle, as Chris's mom used to call it. YUM! Chris made Shrimp fraDiavolo for supper. It was a great meal. And there was, of course, a game of spades afterwards. Dang, it was close, but they beat us. That's three times in the last couple months. Maybe they're finally figuring out how to play this game! ;P

Tina and I have a lunch date tomorrow. We're going up to Eagle's Mere (to the Sweet Shoppe) and will do a little shopping and maybe even hiking. I'm hoping for a few photo-ops, too.

It sure feels like fall out. It's going to get into the upper 70's this week (they say), but the nighttime temps are chilly! It was in the upper 40's this a.m. when I got up! Yowser. I'm just so not ready for that yet. I guess it's because summer really only just got going. On the other hand, it will make walking outside so much easier when it's not as warm. (And the lower humidity makes the body aches subside, too.) We do have a trip to Martha's Vineyard coming up at the end of the week, though, so I really do hope the warm weather makes at least a temporary return appearance.

With that, I'm off to bed. The chilly temps do make for cozy sleeping!

2009-08-29T21:14:00.003-04:00

It's every grandmother's dream when she's called into active duty. And, today, I was. Little Maggie's been fussy and - believe me, I remember how this is - Eva tends to act up when mommy needs to give the baby lots of attention. So I went down to play with Eva and do any baby holding needed. Or ANYthing needed. Eva and I played and colored. Emily brought the baby down after she had nursed well and handed her off to me. Chris came over after work and took Eva to the library and then put in a movie for her when they got back. I was able to let the baby snuggle in for a long nap on my nice, cushion-y body bed while Emily took a much needed nap herself. Bliss. Maggie would wake up every now and then, look around, smile a little and then fuss a bit and I would switch her position and walk her a little bit and then she'd fall back to sleep. Yeah. Pure bliss. :) I was able to help in the kitchen a wee little and then Chris and Eva and I took Maggie for a walk in her stroller while Emily grabbed a shower. It was heaven. Heaven, I tell you! And, obviously, I was able to snap a few sweet photos, too. Maggie's 7-1/2 weeks now. Hard to believe! That just doesn't even sound right!

So, we brought Eva home with us and left Emily and Maggie by themselves for the two hours before Dustin came home. And Eva will go to church with us tomorrow.

Martha's bringing Taco over in the morning, too, because she and Matthew are going camping (finally - they've been trying to get there all summer). And then we may be granddaughter sitting again tomorrow afternoon/evening a little - as Maggie will allow - because it's Dustin and Emily's 1st wedding anniversary and they want to go out alone to celebrate at least a little. And we want to help them do that however we can.

It's so freaking wonderful to be completely free to be able to help out. What a blessing that I'm not exhausted by a job. And that Chris is so available to help, too. Because he totally wants to. That's what grandparenting is all about - being that support system. Helping your kids to succeed and to be happy. What a privilege. Sigh...

Oh. Chris saw Maggie smile for the first time today. I don't quite know how he's missed it before. My first time was at the reunion. It was...well, I can't even explain it. But now Chris knows why I'm always trying to get her to smile. It's completely captivating. And it was fun seeing (and hearing) Chris go ga-ga over her darling smile, too. Yeah. We've got it BAD!

The Difference a Week Makes

2009-08-27T12:16:00.008-04:00

There's the latest digi I did for One Little Word.

And here are the credits:

Template, staple by Katie Pertiet
Papers, twine by Gina Marie Huff
Charm by Little Dreamer Designs
Heavy stitch by Patricia Christensen
Stripe clusters by Heidi Williams
Fonts: Courier (journaling); 28 Days Later (“Play”); Jefferson (“Passion”)

The photos are from the reunion. I so love to hear (both of) my son(s) play music. One of the great blessings of my life.

The very night that I last posted, our little Maggie Monet was hospitalized. She is home safe and sound now and, without going into all the details of her experience, suffice it to say that in the end she just had a virus. Of course, there was lots of probably unecessary invasion to her little body, but once you're "in the system", so to speak, it's really hard to have a voice, much less use it. There are so many unknowns with newborns. I mean, they just can't tell you what's wrong and, as new parents, you definitely do not want to mess around with guessing when your child is presenting out of control symptoms.

We're just glad she's home without any horrible diagnosis to have to deal with. On the other hand, coming home with no definite answers is a bit unsettling. And then you begin to question every pain, every discomfort, every fever, every blotch.

We were at Dustin and Emily's for dinner last night (and a game of spades which we couldn't finish because of the time, but that the outcome of was pretty set in stone...we were killin' 'em!) and Maggie was a bit fussy. She didn't want to nurse when Emily thought she may have been hungry, but, overall, just appeared to be going through a bit of a fussy time as so many newborns do - especially at that particular hour - 7-10 p.m. ish.

While I don't for a second want Maggie to grow up any faster than she must, at the same time I do hope she passes through this fussy stage soon so that Dustin and Emily can relax, get some much needed rest and be more free to also interact with Eva, who has just started kindergarten.

Chris got to put Eva to bed last night. And little Maggie quit fussing rather quickly (at least for a while) when I put her on her belly on my knees and "rocked" her back and forth. I offered our nightly services... ;) My philosophy when I had little ones - the one that kept me from pretty much freaking out all the time - was that my child would not be doing - whatEVER - by the time they were 18. In other words, this is a phase and it will pass - it's not forever. That's hard to understand when you're in it, but, oh, so true.

My favorite point in the evening was when I was holding Maggie and Eva was saying her good-nights and she came and hugged my neck and said, "we're your two favorite girls in the world, right?". (This is something she's heard me say before...) Of course, I heartily agreed with her!

We're hosting a little dinner party for a dear friend tomorrow evening. And in the morning, it looks like we're making another run up to NY state because the same dealer we got the Matrix at has found us a great deal on a used truck. Chris has been searching and searching (granted, for only a couple weeks), but last night he/we decided to just try to patiently wait for what he really wants instead of tending to jump on what he's finding "out there" and usually giving up in his hastiness a feature or 2 that he really does want. This morning Simmons Rockwell called about a truck that is exactly what Chris wants and it's not even on the lot yet. It's a great deal so, off we go. This time, hopefully, we'll be in and out because the whole "cash for clunkers" thing is not going on. And, now we WILL be able to give the old truck to Matthew and Martha if they want it.

Blackwell and Beyond

2009-08-19T12:08:00.004-04:00

Wow. It's the 19th already. Holy moley. How did that happen? Well, I guess I find myself saying that a little too much on here lately. That is going to change - but probably not until about October. Until then, my posts will be only occasional - as in when I can find the time. And I want to take the time today, even though the day already isn't going quite as planned. But that's okay.

I spent the morning preparing for a bible study/fellowship time I'm hosting tonight. We're studying a book called "You Matter More Than You Think" by Dr. Leslie Parrott. I just finished reading the book and our women's group has the study books as well as the videos. It's really a nice study with an important message to women who probably don't realize the difference that they make in other's lives just by the love they naturally show.

My plan for the day included dusting the first floor and cleaning the bathroom while Chris did the vacuuming (our agreed-upon arrangement). Chris also had reviews to work on this a.m. and then was to take the new car (did I mention we got a "new" car? New to us, anyway - a 2006 Toyota Matrix) up for a free inspection this afternoon and then come home to cook supper (also the agreed-upon plan). All this and then have myself and the kitchen all cleaned up before the women come over. And all in the stinkin' hot, humid weather. Whew!

But Emily called this morning - as I have encouraged her to do many times - asking if we might be able to have Eva come up because the baby was fussing and she thought Eva could use more attention than she was able to give her. So, even though our day was thoroughly planned (our "Plan A"), we are adjusting to God's "Plan B". And that's the way I see it. Rather than an intrusion or distraction from what we had planned, it's a way that we can help Emily and encourage her to call on us. I see it - just as my bible study was pointing out - as a way to make a difference in someone's life by showing love.

In other news, Chris and I have had our week in Blackwell which was punctuated with the Barlow family reunion. I think we would have come away with more of a feeling of relaxation if we had planned our week together to come after the reunion rather than before. Because the reunion does tend to be a little chaotic. And then there's the horrible day of cleaning and packing up at the end. Ugh. Unfortunately (or, perhaps, fortunately if I think about it...) I put my back out BADly the day before the reunion. I was relegated to pretty much sitting around the whole time - no biking, hiking or swimming for me. I tried to go for a walk, but it ended up being a bad idea. But, that meant there was also no cleaning up and lifting and etc. It took a full week to get me straightened out. Chris did take me to a nearby chiropractor's office the day after it happened so he (Chris) could adjust me, but the tables were ancient and the adjustment was not a very good one. I needed to get home and get treated at Chris's office.

But, all in all, it was a great time. We had a few storms, but it was sunny enough for people to get in the water most every day, although the water was quite high and "fast" at times - and quite cold! Between us, there were 3 bear sightings and we saw a Bald Eagle almost every day.

Here a just a few of the many photos from our time in Blackwell:

That's Eva and Nicholas playing a game outside on the deck.

And there's Ryan taking (most of) the kids for a ride in the "community" boat.

Taco, not being a "water" dog, was tied while Matthew was in swimming and he pined for his beloved master the whole time. I just love that photo...

And Chris snapped this photo of a bunch of us enjoying ice cream at the Cedar Run General Store. My back didn't stop me from doing that! :)

And, finally, there was a LOT of baby-holding going on at the reunion. We had three babies. I got some great shots, but I though I'd just share this one of Emily and Maggie - aren't they both SO beautiful?

Emily and Eva and Maggie met us over at Kellie's pool a couple times this week and we "dipped" Maggie for the first time. Emily also expressed some breast milk and I got to feed Maggie a bottle. Sooooo sweet! And Chris got the burp out of her. If you're not a grandparent, it's hard to understand just how thrilling these little things are. ;)

Well, Eva is watching a video and eating peaches, watermelon, yogurt and Kashi "heart" cereal. Then we're gonna squirt each other with squirt guns. Chris took the car up to get inspected and when he comes back he's going to take Eva to see a movie at the theatre and then take her out for supper. When he takes her home Dustin will have been home for a while and he and Emily and Maggie will have had some "alone" time. And, by Chris taking Eva out, I will have time to get the rest of the housework done and myself ready with plenty of time to spare.

God's Plan B is all good! :)

New Month, New Decisions

2009-08-01T00:51:00.004-04:00

Well, here we are at a new month. And I've made a new decision. It has been on my mind for quite some time now, actually. I've tossed it around, gone back and forth, changed my mind and, finally, settled on what I want - what I need - to do. It is with a heart full of gratitude and appreciation that I have decided to step down as a Fashionista (i.e. a Design Team member for Scrap In Style TV). Sigh. This was something that I wanted sooooo badly. And when the opportunity came up about 8 or 9 months after I'd become quite active in the SIStv community, well, I held my breath, prayed and hoped that I would be chosen for the team. And I was! Wonder of wonders I was! And it has absolutely been everything that I'd hoped and dreamed it would be. I found it artistically challenging and fulfilling for sure. It was so fun to give other members (SISters) of the website a thrill by choosing a favorite layout each week. I so enjoyed being in the position to be an encouragement to others, maybe even a mentor of sorts. But the absolute best part has been getting to know Jeanette (the owner of the site) and the other Fashionistas. I expected that this would happen, but I never realized what an absolute blessing it would be to me. These women are amazing - every one of them. And they accepted me (being a slight bit - ahem - older - than them) and befriended me and made me feel so welcome. We've laughed together, cried together and have totally gotten silly together. We've worked hard together, have had virtual parties and actual slumber parties, have eaten together and have scrapped and taught side by side. It's been an amazing and wonderful year. So what the heck am I doing stepping down?

It's all about time. For me, time is EVERYthing. And I think the older I get, (even though I don't necessarily feel older) I feel my time on this earth slipping away. And as much as I love these women and this web site I have just had to ask myself if I really want to be spending so MUCH time on the computer. Being a Fashionista has meant spending hours and hours on the computer each week. I needed to look at layouts and leave comments in addition to being a presence on the message boards. In order for me to do my job to the best of my abilities - which I was whole-heartedly committed to doing - this simply required putting in time on the computer. In addition, I was working with the collections and occasionally preparing tutorials and contributing in an assortment of other ways. This all takes time. I think I realized how much time when for a couple of months, we didn't get a collection to design for and all of a sudden I actually had time to work on some projects of my own with some of the extensive stash of product I've collected over the years.

Not only that, but I just have felt this nudging, so to speak, that there are people right around me that perhaps I should be giving more of my time to. I'm intimately related to some of those people - like my children and grandchildren and I just want to be available to them. I just keep thinking that I may not always be as healthy and energetic as I am now and I want to be free to do whatever my heart desires - in my own neck of the woods - while I can.

I will most definitely still be an active participant in the SIStv community. I have no intention of giving that up. But I will log on when I feel like I have the time, at my leisure. And if I feel like I want to stay off the computer for a whole week (not bloody likely) then I will. I can just pop in to the website for a few minutes instead of an hour if I want.

I have sooooo many scrapping projects I want to do. And a beautiful scrap room just full of supplies. I love being able to go in there when I want and then, when I've had my fill, I can get up and shut the door behind me and come back some other time. LOVE that!

I'm only one hour and forty minutes into my "new" life and already I'm feeling, well, not a "relief", but a sense of release. Release to be free again with no constraints on my time. Free to choose how to spend my day without that pull to the computer. So far - it feels good. (Even though right now I'm ON the computer! But now I'll even have more time to blog.)

I really do plan to continue my friendships that I've made on SIStv - and there's no reason that I can't do that without the little red star by my name. :)

In other news - we've got some new pets around here. Just what we needed. Oy. We have THREE hermit crabs. Chris and Eva picked them out at the pet store and then came home and prepared a glass tank for them. In the photo below, Eva is very proudly showing me her dirty little feet after finishing this project. I don't think the dirty feet had anything to do with the project in particular. She just happened to think it was a good time to show them off to me!

And speaking of pets, just look at these two. How cute are they? That Beatrix is such a wild woman. She is keeping Rocky on his toes! She has zero fear of him. She drives him crazy jumping all over him and just annoying the heck out of him (which he takes quite in stride). And then, when she's exhausted herself, she decides that he'd also make a good pillow. And, again, he doesn't mind at all. "Ho hum" is pretty much the constant look on his face. She's a riot to watch and perhaps has rejeuvenated his old bones a bit. He is 15 after all. I wonder how much all of this will change when she gets spayed next month. We'll see.

Finally, here's a photo of Chris's that he took when we went out in the kayaks last week. We finally had a lovely, sunny, not-too-chilly morning, so we (meaning he) packed them up and headed to Rose Valley Lake for a little paddle. It was so relaxing and peaceful. I'm looking forward to more of that.

So, tomorrow when Chris is done at work, we head north to Pine Creek. Blackwell, PA, specifically, where we'll rent out little green cabin again and sit on the front porch every morning with out coffee watching the ducks swim by in the creek and the fishermen come by and try to get some of those very smart fish out of there. Where we'll pack up our breakfast and bike up into the PA Grand Canyon and watch for Bald Eagles as we enjoy our little picnic. Where we'll whack around a badminton shuttlecock to work up a good sweat so we can jump in the fabulous swimming hole just 20 feet in front of our cabin. Where we'll enjoy ice cream at the Cedar Run General Store for lunch whenever we can and dinner al fresco every night unless we're dining at the Cedar Run Inn or the Manor Hotel. Where we'll play cards or read or sit by a fire. Where the phone won't disturb and the computer won't connect. Ahhhhhhhhhh yes. Tomorrow we go on vacation!

The Barlow family reunion will cut short our usual week up there. But the good news is that we won't have to pack up to attend - because it's right there in the same place. Sweet.

So, it's over and out and I'll be back when the month is almost half over! Sayonara....

2009-07-27T10:15:00.004-04:00

Here are a couple new layouts. I can't even tell you how precious is was to watch Eva meeting her new little sister for the first time. I just had to make a layout with the darling photos. Little Maggie is really blessed for having Eva as a big sister. I also finally cut into these beautiful papers designed by fellow Fashionista Lucy Folch from Brazil. I just adore her bright, whimsical scrap-art. I love her! :) So. There's my two favorite girls, right there in that layout.

I "got" to take Emily to the dentist/oral surgeon - an hour and a half away - last week. Not only was I the "designated driver", but I was also the "designated holder" of little Maggie while Emily was getting her tooth most horribly yanked out. Yes, it was a tough job, but - sigh - someone had to do it! She was just an angel. I had to change her little diaper and she had her eyes open and was looking all around, just calmly and sweetly. Oh, wow. She only made the tiniest brief peeps in the car - as soon as we would slow down at our destinations - and otherwise she slept the whole time. Emily had ample time to nurse her before and after her procedure.

I don't ever want it to sound like I love one grandchild more than the other. I really don't think that's possible. I totally am going through "Maggie withdrawal", though, when I don't get to see her. And I haven't been able to see her as much as I'd like. I'm just trying to be respectful of their privacy and home time - I don't want to be the barging-in, interfering mother-in-law, ya know. But I really, really would like to see more of her... At least I can be thankful that they only live 15 minutes away instead of hours... I can't bear the thought of that and it gives me a whole new appreciation of how hard it must be for far-away grandparents.

The layout below is for the latest round of One Little Word, the word being "why". I'm not a person that questions "why" that much. I believe God is in control and, for the most part, I don't question that. So this one was a bit of a challenge for me in a certain respect. But, since Chris and I seem to have had this conversation several times lately, I thought it would be a good one to document. It was very gratifying finding out from my online friends (you can see their comments on the link coming up) that I'm not alone in my little neurosis! ;) The credits - and story - for the page can be found here.

Even though it started out looking like rain, it's turning out to be a gorgeous (albeit hot and humid) day in PA. Hoooooo boy, do I ever hope that holds out for our vacay to Blackwell next week. If there's anywhere we want it to be hot and humid, it's there, because we have such a fantastic natural swimming hole about 20 feet in front of the cabin we rent.

For some odd reason, I got up early-ish, for me, (7:30) so I decided to have my first cup of coffee and then head out for a walk while it was still somewhat cool. About 1/2 down my (1/4 mile long) driveway, I heard the "beep. beep. beep" of construction vehicles and here, they were doing something in a long line coming up the road. I circled around the cemetary and then came back home. At least I got 20 minutes in. When I got home I finally, finally, got back to my Wii Sports Active 30-day challenge I was almost done with right before I went to TN at the end of June. I had gotten sick, then I went away for the long weekend and then didn't get back to it when I came back. Until now. I think I have 4 more workouts to do and then I'll have finished it! Awesome. Yeah, it was a little harder this morning. The program has been really great - it builds up in intensity over the 30 days and, so here I am, coming back after 5 (wow! FIVE!) weeks off and, well, let's just say it wasn't quite as easy as it had been. I'm sure my thighs will be screaming tomorrow (can we say "squats"?). But that's okay. I really want to get it done. So, if I do it every day this week, I'll finish and then I can start another one after I get back from Blackwell. They're really fun and I like that you're doing something different all the time.

M & M are heading out to World's End State Park today. They called and invited Chris and I. (Chris is golfing right now.) I'm not sure if I'm going to venture back out today, although I can totally picture myself sitting in a lawn chair reading in the woods along the gorgeous creek. There WILL be burgers involved and, as much as we grill, we haven't done many burgers this summer and I'm really craving them... They said they were going to do the waterfall hike and, gee, I already exercised today. I don't want to become a JOCK or anything! Sitting home and reading and scrapping sounds like a great plan, too. Not sure which I'll decide to do as of yet. We'll see.

At any rate, it's already gearing up to be a great day!

2009-07-16T11:32:00.003-04:00

Ohhhh, having a new grandbaby makes for LOTS of scrapbooking inspiration! The top photo is a digi I did for One Little Word. The next two are "regular" paper layouts. For the one just above, I used BasicGrey papers (Urban Prairie) and their July sketch. And that layout is also featured in their gallery here. Cool!

It's been wonderful having taken the month of July "off". In other words, I really kept my schedule open because I knew the baby was coming. So consequently, once I got my scraproom back together, I've really had some lovely time on my hands. In addition to being able to scrap, I've also been cooking! I've made Baked Ziti for the kids (and for us) and also my Grandmother's Chicken and Broccoli casserole. AND I even made a fresh Blueberry Cobbler - a big one for Dustin and family and a little one (one serving each) for Chris and I. Mmmmmm, add some vanilla ice cream and, man, it was GOOD!

Having said that, I've been on the computer all morning and now I need to get my banking done. So, off I go!

Maggie Monet is here!

2009-07-10T10:51:00.008-04:00

Our sweet little Maggie Monet Barlow

Her proud (and smitten) daddy. We're so proud of HIM! ;)

Watching Eva meet her sister for the first time was incredibly sweet...

Okay, I could pretty much do THIS all day! Wow! Amazing! Look what my baby made!

Well, it's obvious we can't take our eyes off of our little Maggie Monet. I do think I'm gonna like this grandmother thing pretty well. Of course, we've been grandparents to Eva for about a year now, but when she was a baby, well, we knew her, but we didn't know we were going to be her grandparents. (If only we could turn back the clock on that one!). All these photos were taken yesterday when little Maggie was about 12 hours old.

I was able to be at the hospital all day on the historic date of 07/08/09. We were thinking about how fun it would be if the baby could have been born at 12:34:56 on 07-08-09 - or even 10:11:12. But, as it turns out, she was born at 11:01 p.m. after a long day of laboring. Emily did just beautifully. She was induced about 2-1/2 weeks before her actual due date to prevent pre-eclampsia, which can come on pretty quickly. As it turned out, Maggie weighed in at 8 lb., 11 oz.! Imagine if she'd have gone another two weeks! And both mommy and baby are doing just great.

We had Eva overnight Wednesday night and so I was able to take her down to the hospital (where everyone else was already gathered) to meet her sister for the first time. Such a sweet, sweet (and tearful) moment. I think Eva is going to be a wonderful big sister. She's already as in love with Maggie as we are!

Well, it's truly difficult for me to think beyond wanting to see Maggie again, but darn if I don't have SCHTUFF to do around this house! Like, for one, I have to finish paying the church bills and etc., since I am the treasurer. And, it would probably be a good idea for me to do my own finance stuff today as well. Usually I do that on Thursdays, but schedules have been happily rearranged lately.

And, as you can imagine, I'm just DYing to get some scrapping done! It's been a while. And, speaking of which, here's a couple pics of the newly-wood-floored scrapping room, complete with cubicle shelving from Target:

I was kind of surprised at how little I actually ended up "purging" from my room. I definitely got rid of a good amount of paper, but only a few older, out of date stickers and things that I never use went into the "get rid of" boxes. Still, everything I do have has a cleaned, if not new, home and most everything is out where I can see it. AND, best of all, I can just roll myself from one station to the other or over to pull something off a shelf. You can't see my typewriter or sewing machine in these photos, but they are just a small chair ride away...

I have a OLW digital layout to complete by midnight tonight (If I so choose...). The word this week is "joy". Hmmmmm. I wonder what I'll scrap about?

Okay, my tummy needs breakfast and then I want to get this banking done. So I'm off. The little Barlow family will return home as four this afternoon. Can't wait to visit again! :)

Post SIS Live '09

2009-07-02T23:04:00.006-04:00

I'm baaaa-ack! Wow, it was a whirlwind weekend! My flights all went smoothly. I found rides to and from the airport and, even though I was the last one to arrive at the event, it was just a fabulous weekend. Every time I meet up with the FGirls, I'm getting to know them (and they, me) a little better. And that's SO great. I also got to see a lot of SISters that I'd met before AND it was so fun meeting so many I hadn't met before.

I LOVED meeting my secret sisters - the one I had and the one that had me. I was secret SIS to Denise and she was great. She really reminded me of my sister irl, Sue. But with lighter hair. :) I so enjoyed getting to know her a little through our "secret" emails and, even if I didn't actually make anything for her, I sure did have fun buying her little goodies for the past few months.

And the SISter who was secret SIS to me, Aimee, well, oh my gosh, I just can't believe the time and effort she put in to the gifts she made for me. Okay, she taught me what a really good secret SIS is! Thanks so much Aimee for everything!

By the time we learned who had who, it was more than halfway into Saturday and we were well-ensconced in our scrapping territory. Well, I was. I would have loved to spend a lot more time with these ladies getting to know them better and just sharing the experience a bit more. That seems to be my regret each time I get together with either the FGirls or the SISters. I wish I could have spent more time with EACH of them. But I'm really glad I had the time I did with my roomie, and with my table-mates - meaning the scrapping table, the breakfast/lunch table and the dinner table! I really had fun getting to know Diane and Marnie, who sat across from me. And Diane and Martha, who sat next to me, off and on.

Here's what the chaotic room we were scrapping in looked like:

Sunday was my birthday and I got all sorts of little gifties, and hugs and well-wishes. It was swell (though I wouldn't have minded a bit forgetting altogether that it was my birthday!). The highlight of the day was dinner with some of my FGirls. I ordered a fabulous meal and then, even though I was pretty darn full, decided that since it was my birthday, I would order dessert - key lime pie. YUM! THEN I found out that my meal was being paid for! Awwww. How totally sweet. It was SUCH a fun time.

Here are the FGirls that were at the event:

And, much to my surprise and delight, I did actually get some scrapping done! (I was determined this year!). I did the layout you see below. And I finished up my ATC's for June, which was great. Well, they're so dang quick to do. Here's the layout I made:

That's Dustin's Emily with her Aunt Mary Joe. They were so fun to watch together, not having seen each other for a while - and I love the photos I got, so wanted to scrap them. And there you have it! ;)

In other news, I had decided about a month ago that I wanted to re-do my scrap room - make it a little sleeker, a little less "cozy" by removing the carpet and laying down some durable wood flooring. I also got some cubicle-type shelving so I can have my stuff "out" where I can see it. I knew I would have to light a major fire under Chris's, um, BUTT, in order for this to happen any time within the next century. So I told him about my plan, got my shelving and then asked him to go in and make the measurements to my room while I was gone to TN.

Soooo, when he told me on the way home from the airport that it was supposed to rain on and off all week, through Friday, I grabbed ahold of the opportunity firmly with both hands and I said, "Great! You can purchase the flooring on Tuesday (with said measurements in hand), help me move out the bigger pieces of furniture and rip out the rug on Wednesday and install the flooring on Friday! Yipee!". Heh. He hedged and squirmed a bit, but after confirming for me that each of those things wouldn't take more than the day I'd designated them for, he tried to make me feel only a little guilty (which I had none of) before throwing up his hands in utter defeat and giving in. Now, I think even he would admit that this is NOT the way I normally operate. But, after 34 years of marriage (which we also just celebrated - on my birthday - "we" meaning the SISters and I because Chris wasn't exactly around) I have seen how the project timeline goes down. So, being that it's my scrapbooking stuff we're talking about being tied up for the duration, I was NOT willing to let this become a long, painfully and ridiculously drawn out process. I just couldn't because I need to be able to get at my stuff. I'm a professional, ya know? This is my job. And, well, I just want it DONE! :)

So, as we speak (so to speak), here's what my scrap room looks like:

Tomorrow he only has a few more staples to remove and then the flooring will go down. It will be up to me to go through my scrap stuff and purge as much as possible and then slap together (yeah, right - I'm well aware of how THIS usually goes) the three cubicle shelf units that I purchased. I hope beyond hope that they're not too much of a pain to assemble. I have done that stuff before, so, well, we'll see. If I can go through everything and get those shelves together so that we can move stuff back in there Monday, that would be aMAZing and wonderful! I'm not saying everything has to be perfectly in its place by Monday. I'll give myself the rest of the week to tinker away at getting everything just where I want it. But, I just can't wait. I always get so re-energized when I re-organize. And I'm just really looking forward to getting rid of the stuff I know I'll never use. (I do hope there's enough of it to make a difference. I will have to be strong.) It's true that the less stuff you have, the more the creative juices flow. Don't ask me why, but it is.

So, that's all I have for now. I'm off to bed so I can get up early enough to not hamper the beginning of the work tomorrow...(you know, hammering, pounding, noise and stuff like that...).

And, happy July!

In the good 'ol summertime...

2009-06-24T13:53:00.004-04:00

Where, oh where has my little blog gone? Or maybe I should be asking where, or where has June gone? Chris took that photo above on a little rafting trip he, friend Gary and M&M went on. I opted out because I was working on something else. But, gorgeous day and gorgeous photo.

I was sick last weekend. I even had to miss the last two days (including the closing program) of VBS. I was so sad about that, but what can you do? It was "just" a cold, but it just sucked the life out of me. At least it traveled pretty fast and I'm about over it now, but each day there was some new thing that just put me down. I was in bed a LOT! Ugh. It feels like I lost a month of my life.

And I haven't exercised in a week. I hate that, too, because I had some GOOD momentum going there. I was just about done with the Wii Sports Active 30-day Challenge. But, I do want to continue and I will.

Today and tomorrow I'm packing up for the SIStv 2 year anniversary crop and celebration event in Nashville, TN. I'll be leaving in the wee hours Friday a.m. and will be home late Monday evening. So, this is my birthday present to me! ;)

Emily is about ready to burst with child. Lookie here:

I just hope it doesn't happen while I'm away. They're going to induce her July 13th if she hasn't already popped our little girl out by then. The photo is from a Sunday afternoon we had at World's End State Park a couple weekends ago. Chris's birthday weekend, actually. Or, at least, that was our excuse to go picnic.

So, yes, summer is beginning to show it's lovely self around here - in between the torrents of rain and chill. Hopefully, she's just shaking out the last of winter and spring and is here to stay now.

With that, I'm off to get packin' for my trip!

2009-06-08T23:07:00.004-04:00

What a gorgeous day in PA. It wasn't sunny all day - it even drizzled a little at one point. But it was the perfect temperature and the birds were singing and it was calm and just really pleasant. Oh, how I love these kinds of days. We chose to spend it finally buying some flowers for the window boxes, the porch and the deck. Well, really, we didn't have much choice because it's just been either too cool or too rainy or we've been too busy to get them before this. And Chris leaves Wednesday for a golf tournament (and works tomorrow) - so TODAY was the day. And even though this is something I've done on my own in the past, I really appreciated having Chris to help lug things around for me. :)

I do have some perennials blooming - the knock-out rose and the lamb's ear pictured above, left are a few of them. It had just rained the morning I took those photos and the drops were all lit by the sun. So pretty. The photos on the right are of a butterfly that was just as delighted as I was that I had flowers strewn about waiting to be potted. It's such a great feeling of accomplishment to get this chore done.

And, apparently, I had energy to spare because I decided to clean off and wipe down the entire front porch after getting all the flowers in. I still have a few more plants to add, but it's almost as if I felt for the first time that NOW summer had begun. Yeah, yeah - I know it's not really summer yet, but it feels like it now! And I just so enjoyed sitting in one of the porch chairs enjoying my little lunch while hummingbirds, bees and butterflies buzzed by. Lovely.

We invited the younger of the two Barlow offspring and family up for dinner, but Emily wasn't feeling well, so it was just Eva and Dustin. Eva is SO in love with our little Beatrix, she just wants to carry her around all the time, which I felt a need to limit because I do want the kitty to be blissfully happy here, too. :) But that kitten is truly the sweetest - and funniest - little thing ever. And Chris brought out this train whistle which Eva also giggled and giggled over as we made a big deal about the "Eva train" 'a comin'! She just delights in everything. And it was so fun to watch her watching a hummingbird feeding for the first time. Everything is new again as we see through her eyes.

So, all in all, a good day. I'm going to go shower off the dirt and sweat of the day and hop into bed...

2009-06-02T12:57:00.005-04:00

Where have I been? To the annual LYFE conference for ladies! LYFE stands for Living Your Faith Everyday. It's an excellent conference that's 2.5 days of excellent teaching, great food and just the kind of good 'ol FUN that you have when you get away with your friends. This year they offered the photo shoot, so we had fun with that.

I also took a class from SIStv last week called Home Is Where the Art Is and given by one of our more "famous" Fashionistas, Claudine Hellmuth. She has her own line of paints and medium and sticky-backed canvas AND she's even appeared on the Martha Stewart show with her unique artwork techniques. I can add that she's a great online teacher! I loved the class, which involved making a little sampler of various mixed medium techniques. So FUN! I can't wait to begin incorporating some of the techniques into my other projects. I'm so glad I'll have this project as a reminder of what I did!

Chris and I went away Memorial Day weekend. Normally, we go on a one-day road trip. But this year, Chris suggested that we do an overnight and since it involved a meal at Teresa's Next Door AND a night in a hotel, well, how could I resist? There was a parade right in front of our hotel on Memorial Day and then we headed out and stopped briefly to visit Kevin and Ann and meet little Ava for the first time. We also stopped at Bill and Julia's in Mt. Gretna. I guess I forgot to pull out my camera for that short visit. Too bad, because they live in a really cool setting. Here's my collage of the parade AND little Ava is in there, too:

Last week was VERY full with getting caught up from being gone and then going away yet again to the LYFE conference. LIFE has been a whirlwind of activity! We finished off the week by going to Milheim, PA to see a local (sort of) Zydeco band. Unfortunately, Matthew had to work, so he missed it, but Chris and I went with Martha and Gary. (Deborah also had to do some catching up after being at LYFE with me, so she missed it, too.) And when I say, "missed it", I do mean "missed it" because they were fabulous. They were playing at a little natural foods cafe out in the middle of NOwhere. And it was pretty filled up with people. At one point, every single person in there was up dancing. You just couldn't help it! Fantastic and soooooo fun!

Yesterday was MY day to try to begin catching up. And I'm sort of continuing in that mode today. I went through my entire wardrobe yesterday morning - throwing out the unsightly and the unfitting, putting away the fall/winter and bringing in the spring/summer - all before ever coming down for my morning coffee. That happened finally at 11 a.m. Then I did some laundry and went about getting caught up on a few other things. M&M came over in the afternoon, so we took a break with them. Then Chris took Eva to a pet parade and carnival (I wanted to stay far, far away from the carnie food...) and I made my dinner and went down to crash in front of tv - something I haven't done for ages. I watched the 3 latest and newest episodes of John & Kate Plus Eight. *sigh* It's almost too sad to watch now knowing that their marriage may be breaking up. What is wrong with people? I'm sure it's complicated and I don't really know anything, but by their own admission they may not stay together. Eight little kids. Sooooo sad. If other people feel the same way I do, (too sad to watch) it will kill the show.

ANYway... THIS was a morning I've been looking forward to ever since we've adopted this little cutie:

She went to the vet's to get her claws removed. Now don't freak out. I fully intend on keeping her exclusively INside (although, she has actually escaped outside a couple times, but only for a few seconds - she's FAST!). That's our little Beatrix. Yeah, she's awfully cute, but don't be fooled. I wear her scars. She has inflicted more pain, drawn more blood and left more scabs on me than any cat I've ever owned. I covered the furniture just enough to keep it from being ruined. And she was light enough that the several times we caught her hanging from the TOP of the still like new, very expensive sliding door screen, it didn't actually do any damage. Geesh! That cat is CA-RAzy! She will be in for a bit of a surprise once she heals up, but I'm sure she'll adjust well. She'll just have to perfect her jumping (and landing) skills, because she will no longer be using her claws to do it. I'm sure she'll continue to entertain us with her antics and I won't be surprised if her attempts at jumping without claws will cause some accidents, but overall, I will be breathing a huge sigh of relief. And I think Rocky will like it better, too, as I've seen evidence of her boldness on him, too! Geesh.

Now I'm off to exercise and get some meal planning done. Perhaps, if I find the energy to brave the masses, I'll go get groceries this afternoon. I think a trip to WalMart is definitely in the plan. But Wegman's may have to wait until tomorrow when it won't be so busy (because I couldn't get there until after 4 p.m. at the earliest today and that's when everyone's getting out of work, too). Sayonara.

Flea Markets and Faith Journals

2009-05-18T12:27:00.007-04:00

Okay, so don't tell anyone, but I *gasp* skipped church yesterday and went to the flea market with Martha. I think it's really important to spend some quality one-on-one time with your daughter-in-law, don't you? Gotta build those relationships, right? So I thought it was really a spiritual decision to give up church to spend time with her... Right?

Okay, fine! But, hey, since we've been committed to our little local church, this is the first time in years - YEARS I tell you - that I've skipped church when I wasn't actually out of town. And I don't feel too guilty about it. Maybe just a little.

Here's a little photo montage of the flea market:

Martha ended up buying what she's pointing at, which you can't see in the photo, but it was a large and very old, kinda grungy, but in a cool way, crucifix and also those little musical people in the middle photo.

I bought the vintage sheet music and the Longfellow poetry book (for $1.25 total). Of course, you will see pieces of said items featured in upcoming scrapbooking projects.

It was a beautiful morning, albeit a tad chilly, and I'm glad I went. Chris had a seminar he had to go to and our Pastor's college-aged children are leading the music for the next month, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to duck out. I was tempted to go to Border's after I left Martha's and buy an expensive coffee and leisurely-ly (?) read a magazine and/or to walk through Michaels or Target, but I knew these things would all lead to needless spending, so I refrained. Instead, I came home and read the paper - okay, did half the crossword - and fell asleep with my fuzzy little Beatrix in my lap and my devoted Rocky plastered to my side. What could be sweeter? Only coming home after our business meeting last night and watching the 3 hour finale of Survivor and seeing J.T. win it. Maybe not sweet-ER, but JUST as sweet, anyway!

Another project I was able to work on this weekend was the beginning of a faith/art journal that I'm keeping to record my thoughts while going through an online study I'm doing with some friends. Right now we're studying about joy.

So, here's the journal:

And here's the first page:

(as always, if you click on the image, you'll get a closer view) I'm so looking forward to expressing my thoughts and feelings and meditations on the subject we're studying through art journaling. I've been perusing some great art journaling magazines lately and have been really inspired to do this. Also, the galleries at SIStv are so full of beautiful art journal pages, so I'm feeling really inspired - in many ways! :)

Yeah, it was chilly at the flea market yesterday morning, but it was NOTHING compared to THIS morning. Which is fine for me, because I got up around 8:30 a.m. (it was about 37 degrees) and hopped into the hot tub - and listened to the birdie symphony, thank you very much. But Chris and Gary and M&M all went up to the Pine Creek area and were going to kayak and canoe down the creek today. Yowsa. I just stepped outside at about 11:15 and it was barely 50-ish - HERE. So, up there, it's certain to be a lot cooler. That wouldn't be SO bad if that water wasn't ice cold as well. Yeah. I'm glad I didn't go on this trip. I think I only want to be in a boat on the water (and especially a kayak-y or canoe-y type of boat) at such a time that if said boat would suddenly flip over and spill me out of it, the water would be a welcome refreshment, not a shocking, hypothermia-inducing, breath-sucking death machine. Um, yeah. I know Martha wasn't looking all that forward to the same stuff I just described, so, hopefully they dressed accordingly and all will have - literally - smooth sailing.

Well, seeing that it's almost 1 o'clock and seeing that I want to exercise sometime today and seeing that I'm going out tonight and seeing that I also wanted to continue my scrapbook room purge - well, SEE ya!

2009-05-16T10:34:00.004-04:00

Here's my latest for One Little Word, the word this time being "two". (You can see the credits for this layout here.) I already told the story about how these photo came to be taken in this post. I'm so glad M&M allow me to take their photos - at least some of the time. My other daughter-in-law, who is incredibly beautiful and photogenic really resists the camera. Too bad. Our loss. So, being the shutter bug (and I mean bug!) that I am, I really do appreciate it when I am allowed to snap away...

Okay, I will say I had the most delicious meal yet at the Old Forge Brewing Company last night. It was cajun scallops with roasted red pepper aoli sauce over lemon rice pilaf. Oh my gosh - DEEEEElicious, Martha! And PERFECTly cooked Dustin. (Oh, how I love that my children can create one of my favorite things in life - a great meal!). I actually asked the waitress to convey to the cook (my son) to take it easy on the "cajun". And he presented me with really the perfect amount of seasoning. Because I tried one of Chris's scallops with the full seasoning and it would have been too spicy for me. But mine was perfection and the scallops just melted in your mouth. And the combination of flavors - the cajun, with the aoli and the lemon rice - just WOWser! Really exceptional. Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!

My toe is just about healed and I'm getting all excited about exercising again. Okay, sure, I probably could have found something to do, but I've found that if I take a little break from something sometimes, it really refreshes my motivation to get back into it. Plus, Wii is coming out with a new fitness "game" this week that I totally want to get. It's a circuit training kind of thing that measures your progress and grows with your abilities. Can't wait for that. Wii has definitely changed my level of activity and jump-started my working out again.

It's kinda gloomy out there today. Chris is bringing home Eva after work today - but just til after supper since she's not spending the night tonight. Chris has a seminar tomorrow, so Martha and I made plans to do something I've been dying to do with her, but never have had the opportunity because of my committment on Sundays. But, for the next month, Robby and Emily will be taking over the leading of the song service. That doesn't mean that Chris and I won't go to church at all (though that's the case THIS Sunday...), but it does mean that we have a little freedom to do some other things that have been begging. And we can take this opportunity to sit under Matthew's song leading as well. Love it!

So, anyway, the gloom is really the perfect atmosphere for me to get in my scrap room. If it was gorgeous out, I'd want to be outside.

My biggest dilemma of day is whether to MAKE cookies (for youth group Sunday night) or to have Chris pick some up at the store. I think I'll go ponder my recipes and make up my mind right now. And then get some (paper) scrapping done...

Kittens

2009-05-15T11:23:00.004-04:00

That's our new little girl, Beatrix. She is sooooo sweet and cuddly. Her face is just mesmerizing, it's so cute. But don't let that fool ya, because she is TROUBLE. With a capital T. My thigh is just covered with scratch marks where she digs in to crawl up on my lap so she can then sit on the desk while I'm at the computer. I put her back on the floor - and she climbs back up. If she's willing to chill, I do let her sleep in front of the keyboard. (Okay, that's probably why she keeps trying...) I was working at my desk the other day and heard her making some noise, looked up, and there she was - at the TOP of the screen door, hanging. Oy. I do love that she wants to be where I am, but having her walk across my face and choose to sleep on my neck, well, it's not real conducive to getting a good night's sleep. Neither is having her get an energy spurt at 5:30 in the morning and being hell-bent on stripping my sneakers of their shoelaces. This doesn't go over real well with Chris, either. I think there will be a baby gate in our future - to keep her downstairs at night until she's a little more, um, mature.

And Rocky. Oh, poor Rocky. She just. will. not. leave. him. alone. At first he just ran away from her, but now he tolerates her relentless attacks - mostly of his tail. But that girls attacks ANYthing. Even air. She's ca-RAZY! And she and Rocky have actually been seen curling up together. Okay, Rocky was asleep on my lap and Bea was asleep on my shoulder, so I laid her up against him. But neither minded. And Rocky does play with her. I mean, if he wanted to, he could probably bite her neck and put an end to it all. But he doesn't. And she has nailed him with her claws. But all that will change after June 2nd when she will get de-clawed. At least her front claws. My thighs AND my leather furniture will be grateful. If that process doesn't prove to be enough, then we'll have the back ones removed when we get her spayed in September. After which time I'm predicting that she'll be much more settled down.

I love kittens, though. They're just so cute and entertaining. And Beatrix tops them all in both departments, that's for sure. It's so fun just to sit and watch her antics. I know, I know. She won't be a kitten forever. But by then it will be too late. I'll be hopelessly in love with her. I already am.

Motherhood

2009-05-09T23:23:00.005-04:00

It's the hardest job. And it's the best job. I feel their every pain. I share their every joy. This job doesn't end. I'll be their mother forever. And that's okay. I wouldn't have it any other way. This is such a wonderful "phase" of motherhood that I'm in. I get to see my children settling in to their own lives. Married. Having pets. Having children. I have to remember that they are adults now and don't always want the advice I so often have at the ready. (I have to remember how I felt at their age.) But, I just enjoy them so much. Enjoy laughing with them. Enjoy chatting with them. Enjoy sitting and watching a movie with them. And enjoy sharing a meal with them. I still wish I could wave a magic wand and make their lives nothing but happiness and success. But then I would deprive them of a lot of growing and maturing. And so, I sit back and take them in like a sweet fragrance and just relish each moment I have with them. I am SO grateful they both live near enough that those moments are often. I am SO blessed. I love you Matthew and Dustin.

I love you madly.

Mom

A Little Spring Cleaning

2009-05-04T11:11:00.005-04:00

Saturday was National Scrapbooking Day! And us Fashionistas were able to put out some challenges on the boards over at SIStv. Oh, there's just a ton of inspiration over there. I wasn't able to get much scrapping done - only a page for my own challenge (which was pretty fun, I might add). But at least I know I can check back to the boards and do some of those challenges some other time. And I will, because they're all awesome! :)

My challenge was to use product from when you first started scrapping - or at least "older" product. AND to use at least one "older" photo on your layout. So I made that layout above. I cracked open some packages that had NEVER seen the light of day - what a good feeling that was! You can read the story about the layout here on my SIStv gallery post. The older photo was taken exactly (according to the flower bloom time) 24 years before the newer photo. I just love BOTH photos to death.

Okay, so I've pulled out my cleaning system cards again. Yes, I'm in the mood, so I'm definitely gonna GO with it! I'm supposed to be cleaning out the fridge and cleaning the toaster oven and can opener today. (In addition to a few daily tasks which I will spare you the mentioning of here. And I plan on doing that. BUT - it gets better - Chris's golfing fell through today because it's raining (yes, I guess it DOES rain on the golf course, after all!) SO now we are going to go through the kitchen cupboards and get rid of crap. I LOVE doing this kind of stuff. So, I'm gonna put on some "removing the crap" music and get started. Cuz, I do have OTHER things to do today as well!

2009-05-01T14:41:00.002-04:00

That's my latest digi for One Little Word. The word is journey. You can find the credits here. My Sam is on his way. Well, technically, he's not MY Sam. He's my friend Deborah's Sam. But I've known him since he was a red-haired cryin' baby boy and, gosh, I love him! So, now he's finally busting loose of the apron strings and out on his own. He's going to a great design school in the Chicago area. And I'm SO excited for him! So excited to see what he'll do and where he'll go. I envision him on one of those design shows on HGTV! :)

Well, we just brought Eva here to meet our little Beatrix. So I'm going to go play with them and make some lasagne for dinner! I'm off!

2009-04-30T10:40:00.003-04:00

My mind is spinning from all this blog stuff! I think I'm beginning to understand - but now I sure do wish I'd learned HTML when I was going to...

Our new little girl (Beatrix the kitten) is doing SO well. While she and Rocky are not best of buds yet, she has eaten and is exploring the first floor a little. She didn't cry one bit last night. I set up a "cave" for her (i.e. a box with a soft towel) on the couch and she likes to nap in there. I keep putting her in the bathroom - where I also have her food and water right now - and she's doing fine finding her way in and out. That's good. And she is warming up to me as well. She's at my feet right now. She actually comes to me and she was purring with me a minute ago. So all is well.

Now, I've GOT to get to my banking! This computer stuff is majorly eating up my time!

2009-04-29T12:51:00.009-04:00

Hey! Notice anything, um, NEW??? I'm taking a class from SIStv called "Bling Our Your Blog (2.0)". I've been so wanting a 3-column blog and to learn how to truly make it my OWN. Sooo. Here I am. I've had a bit of a time with adjustments and stuff, but I'm good with it. And the class continues all week, so I imagine it's just going to get better!

In other news - wow - so much is going on! First of all, Richard's little son, Sebastian Thomas, was born to Cathy yesterday:

I just love that big smile on Kellie's face. I know this grandson brings the life of Richard right back to her, to us. And that is a huge blessing.

We're getting a new addition to the family as well - TODAY! Check out this cutie-pie:

Oh my goodness - is that not the cutest little kitten? She will be all ours before the day is out. I think we might name her Beatrice. My friend Tina's granddaughter named her "burnt toast". :) Martha loves the name toast, but I'd like something a little more feminine. We'll see. :)

Speaking of cuteness, how about this gooey sweetness:

Awwww. We were going out for the day on Monday - Martha's birthday - and all the little flowers were out in the cemetary at the end of our driveway. And I mentioned how I had the cutest picture of Matthew and Dustin when they were little laying in those flowers. So, of course, we had to stop and re-create the sweetness...

Here's the original photo:

That's Matthew on the right, Dustin on the left. This was taken in 1985, so 24 years ago. Matthew was 7, Dustin was 5. Sooooooo cute! Hahahaha!

Okay, one more adorable thing to throw at you. And that's my latest layout from the SIStv Drama Queen collection. Chris took the photo of Eva:

We had a fun "hawaiian" themed party for Martha's birthday Sunday night. The weather MORE than cooperated, because it was actually HOT! But that's okay! It made for one of the most lovely summer evenings - in APRIL. Amazing. We had a great time. And I just have to show you one more photo of the beautiful birthday girl:

Pretty, pretty girl. We love her... :)

Well, I think my posterior is permanently attached to my desk chair. And I have more to do! Besides, I think that's all the new stuff a person could handle right now!

2009-04-15T21:30:00.007-04:00

Wait! It's Wednesday already? Good grief, this month is gonna fly by, too, isn't it?

First, I want to post a couple of projects. I got the new SIStv collection, Drama Queen, the night before we left for Madison, but do you think that stopped me from staying up into the wee hours working on a layout? Of course not! And here's the one I made of my little Eva:

I had already set aside this photo to scrap with some other papers, but when I got the collection, I thought it went perfectly with what I had in mind. Now I need to get some play time in with the rest of the collection!

Right before I went to Madison, I also whipped up this mini for my mom using our 2008 year in review photos:

I pulled out an older BasicGrey mini book and papers for that one. I think it went perfectly with all my photos. You can see the whole thing in my SIStv portfolio here.

So, I think we had a really great visit with my mom in Madison. It went super fast! (That seems to be theme of this post!) I took Mom to an appointment with her surgeon - Chris and I went, along with Gail. What a wonderful man. He was so patient and kind and understanding of Mom's situation. He reiterated what he had told Mom back in September when I was there. Mom just has a really hard time coming to grips with it all. No more walking. Her mode of transport will always be a wheelchair - or a power chair. And she will require 24/7 care for the rest of her life. Unfortunately, that's very expensive, so there needs to be some investigation into how to do that the most economical way. Unfortunately, Mom can't get to that because she's still refusing to believe what the dr. has told her. It's a never-ending cycle of why's and how's and I wont's and it's preventing her from doing what she really REALLY needs to do.

I even made a layout about it today! The new word up at One Little Word is "no". Here's the page I made:

If you click on the image, you can get closer to read the journaling. I wanted to make it kind of old-fashioned looking. I love that quote on there, too. Perfect for Mom. I'll send it to her in a card...

In other news, Dustin and Emily and Eva haved moved to a new rental. Actually, it's an older home in Muncy - very "historical" looking inside and out. I'm surprised at how filled up they have it! We were over there painting in the kitchen tonight, which needs to be completed before they can put away their kitchen stuff... Oy.

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to having "tea" (real tea, all you FGirls...) with my friend, Tina. After I finish my banking. It's supposed to be in the 60's and then Friday in the 70's. We were planning on kayaking, but I know I'm going to need some time in my scrap room. But, I am looking forward to some time with Tina - and meeting all her little kittens. (Watch out, Chris!). And I'm SO looking forward to flinging my windows open on Friday and airing out my house! I'll be busy scrapping, but that doesn't mean I can't let the air in! Can't wait!

Dang! I feel good. I ate a bunch of stuff I really didn't want to in Madison - proving to myself that I am still very weak and that I simply can't have "junk" in the house. So I decided to fast yesterday. And it went really well. If I gained any weight while I was away, it's gone now! And Martha's right, my scale and the Wii scale do NOT agree! Martha says her scale is the same as the Wii scale and I'm hoping it's right. That means I've lost more than I thought I had! Whew!

Anyway, then on the way home from the airport, we met up with Martha (and Matthew) for dinner and Martha announced that she's giving up sugar until her birthday in a couple weeks. So I figured, what the HECK! So will I! And it's been going great and I'm tellin' ya - I feel excellent. And I wasn't hardly even eating much sugar before. Just the occasional dessert while out (usually splitting it with Chris) and I had some when we had a big dinner here. But, other than that, I don't have ANYthing sweet in the kitchen. (I say that, because Chris does have his personal stash in his office, but I don't touch that...) But now, I'm using agave juice and 1/2 and 1/2 in my coffee instead of creamer and sugar. And I'm staying away from stuff that has white sugar in it. Like cereal, peanutbutter, etc. I've already got a nice stash of sugar-free, "natural" and organic stuff, so it wasn't hard at all. Anyway, my point was, dang! I feel good!

Over and out.

2009-04-07T10:16:00.002-04:00

Ummm, did I ever mention that there's a WINNER for each of the "One Little Word" challenges? Wellllll, check this out! :)

2009-04-06T11:37:00.003-04:00

(Credits for this layout can be found here.)

That's my latest digi for One Little Word - "Ready". I really like that these challenges are causing me to think and to go deeper in my scrapping. That's what I was looking for. So, thanks, ladies, for bringing it each week!

That's what I'm looking for in my weekly ATC cards as well and, no offense meant at all to the ladies that put out the prompts on ScrapGal for Challenge '09, but I just haven't been as inspired as I was last year when I was working off of Emily Falconbridge's ATC prompts from 2007. So, I say if ain't broke, don't fix it. Emily is doing prompts again this year - she's making tags, but they can be used for whatever you want. Obviously, for me, I will continue with ATC's. Her prompts are called 52Q and are on her blog, here. I'm going to try to start today!

Maybe. Because I have a lot to do today and it's already almost noon. I generally give myself the a.m. to do my devo's and then spend time online. But I also need to do the church banking this a.m. (which I ususally do on Thursdays) because we're heading to Madison on Wednesday. I have laundry in the washer that I need to pull out and I need to finish the mini I'm making for my Mom.

Okay - so I'm OFF!
Happy Easter week!

2009-03-31T00:59:00.003-04:00

Let me introduce you to Nathalie Kalbach. She's an amazing mixed-media scrap artist and I've known her for almost 2 years. She's from Germany and she was in NYC last weekend to teach a series of workshops. I've watched, with fascination, her technique-teaching videos. Besides her lovely accent and sweet nature, she's just SO talented. And I LOVE watching talented people do their thing. So, when she told me a few months ago (she's also a "SISter" on SIStv) that she was coming to the US of A, I asked Chris about the possibility of planing a little trip to the city so I could take one of Nat's workshops. And he was all for it! YAY! :) So, there she is teaching a workshop featuring an acrylic mini-album using lots of paint techniques. What a great idea for an acrylic album, which is see-through. Wonderful!

I had Chris snap this photo of the two of us after Nat's fabulous workshop. I not only had a blast learning from her and scrapping with her, but I was thrilled to be able to actually meet her in person for the 1st time (and I hope not the last!).

I'm a pretty slow scrapper (but getting better) and so it's no surprise that I didn't finish my mini album while at the workshop. Plus, I added pages to mine, doubling it. BUT - I am now finished and I just wanted to give a little peek of it. Here it is:

I made my book all about a trip to the new Children's Library up in Williamsport - part of the James V. Brown Library that Matthew works at. And, we took Eva up there for the afternoon shortly after it opened. I took a ton a pictures and wanted to scrap them, so thought this mini would be the perfect project for those pictures. Here's a different view where you can see all the layers of the book:

Here's the very first page where you can really see how transparent the pages are. Chris asked me about the little page # stars and they are actually all part of each acrylic page. I just painted them, added numbers and then sealed them with diamond glaze to protect the paint from handling. I know Eva is going to LOVE looking (many times) at this book in which SHE is the star! :) This little book is about 5" x 7" or so - and was just a blast to make.

And here' a shot of the back cover.

I just love all the bright colors. It feels so energetic and fun - just like the time we had at the library! If you'd like to see all the pages up close and personal, just click here to go to the album as posted in my portfolio on SIStv.

Due to the lateness of the hour, that's all I have to say for now! ;)

2009-03-20T11:54:00.004-04:00

Well, there's two very different pages for you! As always, you can click on the image to see it more closely. Credits for the digi page (the top one) are here. The top one is my layout for One Little Word (the word is "Real"). The bottom one is my submission to a scrapping magazine gallery for their "Make It Yours" challenge.

Oh, um, YAY SPRING! Yes! Today is the day. And although it's quite chilly outside here right now, it's supposed to be gorgeous for the next several days with temps near and into the 50's. Can we take our snow tires off now, do ya think? I'm SO over winter!

Tomorrow we're heading to New York City. I'm super excited to be meeting a long-time SIStv friend of mine, Nat Kalbach. She joined SIStv just 3 days after me and I've been a huge fan of her AND her work ever since. She's from Germany and she's stateside right now to teach some workshops. So Chris and I have made a little NYC trip planned around this workshop that I'm going to take from Nat on Sunday. I'm CAN'T wait!

First on our agenda to the city, though - Saturday evening - will be dinner at Nino's. Chris (and my mom) and I discovered this treasure quite by accident many years ago when we were at The View (top of the Marriott in Times Square) one afternoon and discussing where to have dinner that night. A friendly New Yorker (and I've discovered most are!) recommended Nino's and it's been our very favorite ever since. I've lost count of how many times we've eaten there, but every time I do, I have "the best meal I've ever had". Truly. And the best service. There's NOTHING like fine NYC dining service. Those of us in northeast PA have NO idea what good service really is if we're only eating around here. Sorry, but it's true.

Sunday a.m. we'll get up in time to get me to my class and then after that I think we're gonna tool around in Central Park, since we'll be staying on the west side near there. I haven't seen much of the north part of the park, so that will be cool. I will definitely have my camera with me. We're kind of open for dinner Sunday night, but we're thinking about an Irish Pub. We'll see. I love playing it by ear, but you have to be careful in the city because there's SO much to choose from that you can waste a LOT of time making a decision and then end up rushing around and missing out. The night will be ours, though. We can stay up late and sleep in Monday.

And then Monday we'll head over the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We'll be able to spend a good four hours there - a drop in the bucket, really, but that's about all the museum I can bite off in one chunk anyway. Can we say Ibuprofen?

So tomorrow morning I'll do my packing. Packing for NYC is always sort of a conundrum for me. I don't want to look tourist-y. But, yet, my feet MUST be comfortable. It's hard to look urban in sneakers. Unless they're way cool sneakers, which mine are not. And I need to be careful of what I wear for my workshop because there WILL be paint involved. But I don't want to go in sweats and a tee shirt, which is what I most definitely would be wearing around here if I were scrapping - especially using paint. So that will be a challenge. I think I've got the Nino's outfit figured out. And for the museum, sneakers for SURE! At least we're driving and I don't have to worry too much about hauling a heavy suitcase. My valet (Chris) will be dropping me off and picking me up at the door... :)

Unfortunately, Chris's computer acquired a major virus and so it's being fixed. The guy is very familiar with the bug, but Chris got it bad and the fix will take longer than expected. So we may not be able to take the laptop into the city, which will be a bummer, because it's really handy. And also because I'll be out of touch with SIStv and fb and email and all my "fixes". Hopefully, I can run up and get it Saturday a.m. before we leave.

So, I'm off to squeeze in a little exercising and scrapping before going out to eat with friends tonight. Hope your weekend is great!
and HAPPY SPRING! :)

2009-03-13T00:54:00.003-04:00

We're having a contest over at SIStv and the theme is spring green. Of course, I can't enter the contest because I'm a little to "close" to the management, being on the design team and all. But that doesn't mean I can't make a layout. Plus, I wanted to support my fellow Design Team Sister, Amy Tan(gerine) and incorporate a little stitching into my layout for her challenge at The Creative Type.

I wasn't really liking this layout for part of the day. But then, I put on some music and pulled out some pretties and ended up really loving it! Love it when that happens!

We've been going Wii crazy around here. Oh my gosh - I never thought moving could be so fun! Last night Chris and I were playing tennis and Dustin came up and we did the bowling. SO fun. And frustrating! Just like REAL bowling! :) Chris brought home the dance "game" from Sam's tonight - at my request. I just think it will be lots of fun and I've always wanted to play with that. I also LOVE the balance games on the Wii Fit. It all makes me want to "exercise" and that can't be a bad thing!

BUT - I'm still really yearning to get out walking more. Last weekend - when it was 55-plus degrees, it was such a joy to get out. I'd even like to try getting to bed earlier - gradually - so I can get up and walk when the sun's coming up. That's really my favorite time of day.

Speaking of getting to bed earlier, here I am blogging at 1:07 A.m. Geesh. I must not stop over at the computer on my way to bed! I'm outta here!

2009-03-07T10:51:00.004-05:00

Okay, can I just brag for a minute, please? This girl - I'm so proud of her! That's my daughter-in-law, Martha, married to my oldest, Matthew. She's the chef at Old Forge Brewing Company. And there's this guy - a "micro-brewery" or "brewpub" reviewer I guess you could call him. He travels all over PA sampling the beer AND the food of brew pubs. Most brewpubs, for whatever reason, have unusually good food, which is good for me because Chris is, like, magnetically attracted to brewpubs whereEVER we go. We could take a trip to Lower Slovobia and Chris will find a brewpub. He loooooves microbrews. But I can't stand beer. I've tried, but I just do NOT like it no way no how. Period. So, because of this brewpub obsession of Chris's, I get dragged into MANY a brewpub. But never fear because I am always the oh, so happy recipient of (most always) excellent food. So I'm down with the brewpubs. But......I digress.

So, anyway, the reviewer guy, Lew Bryson, has a very well-read blog called "Seen Through a Glass" and he's finally gotten around to reviewing Martha's (well, Damien's) restaurant. Even though I've linked you up to his blog, I'm gonna quote the good part here. Because my Martha is responsible for all the food (and none of the beer) at the restaurant. And Lew says:

One more stop: Old Forge Brewing, in Danville. Wanted to get here for months now, and I have: worth the trip. Great, simple place, well-populated even at 4 on a Wednesday afternoon. I got the alt, and it was good: proper hop bite, not over-alcohol'd, not too much hop aroma; maybe a bit dark, maybe a bit sweet, but Damien said he was aware of that and on top of it, this was the first batch. I did get a glass of Sensessionale, and it was excellent session stuff, a definite all-day sucker.

What really put us both away, though, was the food. I'd been told the menu was simple but well-executed, and man, was that true. Best $6 quesadilla I've ever had, perfectly done, cheesey, chicken, thin-sliced apple, just great. And the soft pretzels are very German, big, soft, chewy-tasty (and made the WaWa 'soft pretzel' I had on the way to Philly Beer Geek last night taste like a hard sponge); made at a Mifflinburg bakery. Great eats.

Is that not the coolest? Like I said - I'm so proud! :)

2009-03-06T12:52:00.002-05:00

(Click on image to view larger. Click here to see page credits)

That's my newest digi for the One Little Word prompt - the word this time is "see", though I'm afraid I wrote a little more about "smile" than "see". Can't help it when it comes to Eva. She's just always got a smile for whoever comes her way. Even when we go to church, I'm just amazed at how she'll go up to complete strangers with her lovely smile and adorable friendliness.

Well, we are the new owners of a Wii. And a Wii Fit. So, there I am at 11:30 last night, ski jumping, hula-hooping and doing a step workout. Yeah. Okay, so if I'm feeling like doing that at that hour, I'm hoping this stuff will really inspire me to get moving at a regular hour! I also did an aerobic workout (albeit short) yesterday using the Wii Personal Trainer DVD. The workout part isn't interactive, but you can keep track with the Wii of WHAT you're doing and it also keeps track of how you're progressing. So, for days when I can't get out for a walk, I'm hoping this will really fill the gap and inspire me. Because I hate going downstairs and working out in the basement (even though it's a lovely, finished room). It's just boring and so much work. Hopefully, this will make it fun ENOUGH to keep me going. I'm going downstairs in a minute to show Chris it all works.

Oh, and if it's any consolation to me - even though I haven't been working out for AGES, I did test out at two years younger than my actual age. Just sayin'. I do hope to improve that number! :)

We're having hot tub headaches again. There's a leak and Chris has determined that it's in one of the pumps. Hopefully, it can be repaired for a reasonable price because I'm not ready to let the hot tub go just yet. I still REALLY enjoy it. But I'm not willing to pay tons of $$$ to get it fixed, either, since I'm still reeling from the winter electric bills that the hot tub and the very cold winter are most likely responsible for. Where's that global warming when you need it?

With that, I'm off my duff and up to go get the mail...it's over 40 degrees! Yay!

2009-03-04T23:57:00.000-05:00

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow. What an excellent, inspiring book. I am blown away by the life and vision - and determination - of Greg Mortenson. What a humble and great man. This book follows his amazing story as he falls in love with the people of Pakistan, sees their need for schools and has the vision to understand that education - and reaching out in love - is the only tangible and lasting way to aid a country in need. Greg's experiences made me wonder in awe at his fortitude, his generosity, his perseverence and his tenacity in overwhelming circumstances. More than once I was moved to tears. I learned SO much about Pakistan, Afghanistan and what has been going on over there. I am so turned off by politics and media reports because I just feel I can never believe them. Greg has pulled my head out of the sand with his honest and heartfelt story. My heart and eyes have been opened to his message and his mission. I feel changed because of it. This book should be required reading for all Americans.

View all my reviews.

2009-02-28T11:40:00.002-05:00

This is what scrapbooking is really all about for me. What better way to remember a person and to work out some of your feelings than to engage your emotions with the creative process? It helps.

And today is the last day of Feburary. Wow. The sun is shining madly. The temps are up and down. My urges to get outside and clean my house (obviously not at the same time) are beginning to rise up from within. My mom is home - hopefully forEVER and there is hope in the world. There is hope in the reality that spring IS coming.

I know it doesn't feel that way for some. I wish I could take away pain and make it all better. But, that very pain can be a vehicle that will take us to unknown - and sometimes better - places. Hopefully, better places. Not better because a horrible thing happened. But better, because we become better in an effort to honor the one we have lost.

I almost feel guilty about the joy I feel that I get to enjoy my family this weekend. Eva is coming today. M & M are coming, too - a rare (anymore) Saturday visit. And I'm hoping D & E can come for a visit tomorrow afternoon. But this IS how I want to be better. I want to love them all I can and as fully as I can, whenever I can.

2009-02-23T13:00:00.003-05:00

There is death. And then there is new life. And this is my newest little "great"-neice - Ava. She was born on February 9th to my nephew Kevin (Richard's brother) and his beautiful wife Ann. She is precious and pink and soooo sweet, isn't she? :)

And, so, life goes on. Sometimes it just doesn't feel right to laugh or be happy or even return to a normal routine. But Richard would never want anyone to stop living their lives. In fact, he would be honored if we would live our lives to the fullest. And so, we are slowly stepping back into our regular schedules and routines.

It did really feel good to get back to my quiet time this morning, reading God's word and praying - and listening.

We went to see the Newsboys in Williamsport last night. It was good. Dang, it was loud. But it also just renewed in me again these urges that I've been having to do something meaningful with my life. I am so burdened to go to Africa and somehow do something for the orphans or the impoverished. Not because it's trendy. I mean, my heart is really, really broken for them and I want to do SOMEthing. I've always wanted to go to Africa. Like, my whole life. I wanted to see the wildlife. Maybe that urge has been, all this time, propelling me towards this desire that I've been feeling. I look at my own life and the waste is almost disgusting. The things we spend $$$ on, the material wealth that we have - and for what? For purely selfish reasons.

And, honestly, there is some selfishness in my desire to go to Africa. Because I know it would be an incredible blessing to ME as well... Something is stirring in me. We have $$$ saved for a big vacation this year. And I asked Chris last night to considering holding onto that $$$ and add to it with the goal of going on a missions trip to Africa next year. I know that kind of trip would be very costly and, really, we're almost there if we don't go to Ireland or Nova Scotia instead. Sure, it would be nice to go to those places and visit lovely hotels or vistas and eat out every night and loll around. But think of what GOOD we might be able to do if we re-purposed our trip and made it valuable to someone else besides ourselves. Not that vacations are a bad thing. They're so not. But, honestly, I haven't really felt an excitement, a passion for going to Nova Scotia or even back to Ireland - not like I did the first time we went. But to go to Africa? I want to go so badly it brings tears to my eyes. I know Chris doesn't share the same burden. And it's not just up to me to decide what we do with our vacay $$$. But, Africa is where my heart is. We'll see.

But, even if we don't go there, I still feel like we live to much for ourselves. I still think we could take some of the $$$ that we spend on going out to eat and purposefully spend it on reducing hunger somewhere else - even in our own backyard, so to speak. We do support two children and their families - one in Jordan and one in Mozambique. And I don't take that lightly. But I think we can do more.

I'm not going to make radical changes overnight. This is something that has been creeping up on me over the past year or so. I want to be wise about it - not fanatical. We will investigate. I will start praying that God will make it clear to us just what to do. And I will not ignore those opportunities he puts right in front of us - something no one should ever ignore! I do believe that is one of the ways He leads us and so often we just ignore it.

So, I'm opening my eyes, bit by bit, beyond myself. And I will be excited to see what God will do...

2009-02-18T11:14:00.002-05:00

In sweet memory of

Richard Thomas Bower

1-26-76 - 2-14-09

We weren't ready to let him go. It's so hard to find the words to express my feelings after this tragic loss. We've grown up with Richard and our families have meshed into one over the years. So it is no small thing to now have this gaping, raw hole ripped into the tapestry that was our happy, blessed lives. Richard. Such a sweet soul. Like a teddy bear poured into a grizzly adams suit. With a definite thread of mischievousness running through him for sure, at the same time, you couldn't find a more gentle, humble soul. He will be so greatly missed.

2009-02-13T11:51:00.004-05:00

There's my digi layout for One Little Word (link at the right). (For the credits, click here and then scroll down.)

We're headed out the door in just a minute to the Philly area for a Scottish-Celtic music festival. Our friends, David and Teresa are going with us, so that will be really fun to share the whole experience - which we love - with someone else! All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go, but I'm sitting here in front of the computer!

I'm off! Have a HAPPY VALENTINE'S WEEKEND!

2009-02-11T13:12:00.002-05:00

(Click on image to see it larger)

Over at SIStv this week, we are spreading some Valentine's Day Love. So, to honor the lovely artist that I chose for the catwalk this week (HelpMeRonda), I lifted the layout of hers that I chose. You can see it here. And that's my "lift", up there. I LOVE how it turned out. It was so fun to do, because I was so inspired by everything in her layout - the design and all the different patterned papers, the gray background, the border and her words "inseperable bond". I immediately thought of Eva and Chris because, truly, when they're together, they are inseperable!

Ironically, I've been thinking about attaching myself to an online challenge that I can do digitally. Because, as I was uploading all my 2008 digi layouts for printing into a book, I realized that many of those pages were a result of a regular challenge I was doing. I really like challenges. They're like a jump-start. And I really want to keep going with my digital scrapbooking. So, one that I've seen a lot over at SIStv (or at least, the results of) is One Little Word. And, the irony is that Ronda, whose layout I lifted, above, is on the creative team for the challenge blog! Cool! And this one is done bi-weekly, so it won't be too difficult to participate. So, I'm excited to be jumping in to One Little Word. I've added a link over -----> there, for convenience sake. Check it out! :)

Now, though, because for some odd reason, my left thumb began killing me yesterday, I'm going to go take some Ibuprofen and sit down and read. Typing seems to be making it hurt more. Scrapping is out of the question - I can barely move it! It's a good thing I'm going away this weekend, so I can rest it! Geesh.

2009-02-05T16:48:00.002-05:00

Wow. February is here and I'm just now finding time this week to blog a little.

That's an Artist's Trading Card (ATC) that I made, up there. I'm going to do one a week for the year again. I love doing them. And I used the new collection over at SIStv, on sale now. It's called Winter Detox - the Retro Modern collection and can be purchased here. I love all the bright colors featured on SIStv's own "Modsheets". Very cool.

I woke up this morning and it was 0 degrees. Yikes. And that's after the icicles were dripping away in the almost 40-degree temps just last week. Well those are returning this weekend and I, for one, will welcome them. I'm just a little tired of this cold weather. I know previous Arizonians, Martha and Matthew are, too. February seems to be winter's last hurrah, and then March -even though the temps can be up and done - is just full of the hope of spring. To me, March IS the beginning of spring. And, well, meteorologically speaking, it IS the beginning of spring! I'm going to try not to set my mind on it too much at this point.

I just got off the phone with my mom who had to go back to skilled nursing this past week (it's a long story) mainly due to having pneumonia. But, she had a new x-ray today and it is gone! She's still coughing, but her lungs are clear and that is such good news.

I just had the weirdest thing happen. I tried to call my mom because I wanted to see about her x-ray, but she didn't answer her cell phone in her room. So, I called Gail, one of Mom's SES gals - and also a friend to me - to find out any news. So, anyway, in the midst of my conversation with her it sounded like someone picked up a phone extension and I heard - distinctly - my mom call my name. It was definitely her voice. It gave me goosebumps all over and completely made me tear up (like I was gonna cry) just because it was so freaky and REAL. I've never had an experience like that before. I hung up with Gail right away and called Mom. And she answered the phone right away. I didn't say anything to her about the experience. I didn't want to confuse her. And I figured if she had just tried to call me or something, she would have said so.

So - what in the HECK was that??? It was WEIRD!

Well, I'm feeling a strong urge to go curl up on the couch and read my book for a while. Wait! I just heard my book call my name! Heh. Just kidding.... But I'm off!

2009-01-31T10:07:00.005-05:00

(Click on images for larger view)

(For credits on digi page, click here)

I canNOT believe it's the last day of January! Whaaaaa? Okay, I guess a little 4-day trip to TN made it go a little faster, but geesh!

I've been having so much fun with the new collection at SIStv. It's called Modern Retro and it goes on sale Monday here. I made the little recipe/mini book and I made it to hang on the cupboard handle when I'm using it. And I'll actually be using it today to make "Becca Bars", a yummy treat that was served up at the retreat. I'm actually going to make a double batch because we have a game night tonight and a church supper tomorrow, so I'm making one batch for each. The key for me will be to not eat too many!

And, I finally finished my 2008 year in review page (top). Now that I did I'm going to upload all my digi pages to Shutterfly and have them make me a hardcover book. Got get busy on that. And I gotta get busy on doing more digi pages! I started off last year doing one a week and so far this year, I've only done that one! I really love digi, so I need to set some goals for myself in that area, like maybe 2 a month. And then I'd have 24 at the end of the year, anyway.

Well, Dustin has been on the hunt for a job again. He's been filling his time working at Chris's dad's to get the house ready for sale THIS year. But that is almost over and so he's been looking for something permanent. Martha had offered him a job at the restaurant (Old Forge Brewing Company) as one of her cooks, but, for various reasons, he didn't take the job before. But one of her main guys quit and she offered the position to Dustin again and this time he took it! YAY. So he'll be working with and under Martha. Well, not actually under her, but you know what I mean. I know she'll keep him in line! We're so excited.

Last night we braved the semi-whiteout conditions and went to see Watoto - a Ugandan children's choir - at a church in Bloomsburg (after enjoying a lovely meal at the OFBC, of course). They were SO beautiful and SO energetic and were everything I hoped this concert would be. I just wanted to bring them all home with me! You can read more about them here.

Well, the sun is shining and there are mounds of mounds of sparkly white snow and HUGE icicles hanging from the eaves out back:

Those things could kill ya! But look at the color of that beautiful winter sky! Love it. Even if it was only 0 degrees when I got up this morning. It looks like we'll be getting our first "nor'easter" of the season on Tuesday. There goes my hair appointment - and Dustin's first day of work. We'll see...

And now I'm off. To put together the PowerPoint for tomorrow's Praise Sunday service. To bake the Becca Bars. And then - hopefully to scrap a little before tonight's game playing.

Happy day!

2009-01-26T12:12:00.003-05:00

(Click on images for closer view)

There's two of my latest scrapbook pages. I've been working with the newest collection from SIStv - I believe it's called Modern Retro, but the name may change. Not sure when it will be available for sale, but soon, I'm sure. I LOVE it. There's so much to it. Both layouts use pretty much exclusively stuff from the collection.

The icy-cold here continues. I think that will be the "word" for this winter. We keep getting little bits of snow here and there. Yesterday afternoon it put down about an inch - and we didn't even know it was coming. That made for some challenging driving as we took Eva home and then went to M&M's for dinner last night. I'm supposed to be hosting our "local" card group here on Wednesday and this morning Chris tells me we're supposed to get 4-8 inches that day. Well, we'll see. You never really know until the actual day comes.

We had a yummy dinner with the kids last night. And we played our first games - bowling and golf - of Wii. Chris and I have been talking about getting this and I think last night convinced us. It's really fun and it actually involves getting up off your behind and MOVING! So I'm all over that! We've also been thinking about getting a large flat-screen TV. Supposedly, the prices are really down with the surge of TV's being purchased for the digital switch that's happening. Of course, we're already digital because we use DirecTV, but we've been craving a larger picture. So, if we get the Wii, too, I suppose we'll spend the rest of the winter down in the TV room. Well, I guess if we're at least moving and not being total couch potatoes, that can't be TOO bad of a thing. I think I'll do a little survey in a couple weeks, though, of people that have gotten the Wii Fit and said that they loved it. I want to know if they're STILL doing it and STILL think it was a great buy. You know how "new toys" are...

Well, speaking of moving, I'm going to get off my behind right now and go lift some weights!

2009-01-15T15:40:00.003-05:00

Brrrr. Already I can tell that the winter of 08-09 will be known for the cold. It's only 11 degrees outside right now - in the middle of the day. And tonight the arctic blast is coming in. Wow. I don't like it that cold. I'm cold right now. With a sweatshirt on and a blankie over my legs. At least we do have snow. I've always said that if it's going to be cold out, there should at least be snow.

I'm in the midst of getting ready for a little retreat this weekend with my fellow FGirls. I'm SO looking forward to having a relaxing (and crazy?) time getting to know them better. I'll be bringing home the latest collection to start working on, as well. Well, actually, I'll probably work on it at the retreat. Which I must go pack for - NOW.

And, oh my goodness, I just saw the date and realized that I need to get my tax estimates paid! I'm off to go scribble out some checks right NOW!

Oy.

2009-01-06T12:43:00.003-05:00

That photo gives me such satisfaction. It is something that I started, worked on for a whole year, and finished. All of those are my Artist's Trading Cards (ATC's). I followed the 2007 prompts of Emily Falconbridge's mini art challenge to inspire a different card each week. Yes, there were weeks where I fell behind, but I always managed to catch up. And I am SO so happy not only that I completed the cards, but for the process of creativity that the project took me through and for the invaluable memories that I can now savor. Love love love.

I can't bear to remove those cards from that holder - and I love the display so much that I've already ordered a new set of 7Gypsies cards, with a new holder, so I can do it all again. This year, I'm going to join up with Scrapgals and do their "Create '09" prompts. (If you click on the link here or on the right side of my blog, you'll need to sign in and then you'll find Create '09 in the Challenges forum in the message boards.)

I'm also getting back on track with goal-setting and lifestyle changing. I'm so excited about taking Ashley Wren's class over at SIStv. While I can't do too much physically yet - I'm recovering from both a nasty sinus infection AND a stupid, but painful, broken little toe. Who would have thought that such a little thing could cause so much pain? I broke it over two weeks ago now and there's still bruising and pain. BUT, but BUT - I CAN - and AM - working on everything else that I CAN work on! :) And with that said, I feel like I need to, um, get to WORK!

2009-01-04T15:57:00.004-05:00

Ugh. I've been sick. It doesn't surprise me. I often do get sick right after Christmas. I'm sure it's the combination of stress and sugar that weakens my immune system and then I get whatever's going around. There was a horrid "both ends" flu going around. I'm happy to report that I resisted that one - although it probably would have lasted less time. I ended up with a good old cold that immediately went to my sinuses. I've been feeling AWful and actually spent most of the day in bed yesterday. Which is probably why I'm out among the living today - if being on my computer counts as being among the living. After so many days of being down - and especially after a day in bed or on the couch - my back really begins to hurt as well. So I started my day this a.m. with a lovely soak in the hot tub. What a gorgeous day it was. The sky was beautiful and the birds were just singing away. I've been getting a little caught up online. I've read the paper and now I'm going to have a little more online fun and then go try a little scrapping.

I found this little (okay - not so little) list on this website. And I thought it would be fun to highlight the things I HAVE done in green. What have YOU done? Feel free to copy...

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown my own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (but not in a berth)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (I'm sure at least
one of 'em had to be born in Ireland!)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (not "per se", but I've climbed over
some big rocks hiking)
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

2009-01-01T12:52:00.007-05:00

HAPPY 2009! That's a 2-year-old me offering a simple flower to welcome you to the new year!

I can't tell you how much I love a new year! To me, it's really a fresh start. A chance to begin again. All past attempts at - whatEVER - don't count. Just start now. Okay, part of this is because I tend to be a "black and white", "all-or-nothing" thinker. Which isn't all that healthy. But the new year gives me an excuse to just.start.over. I'm psyched. I'm inspired. I'm ready. And I love the feeling.

(The feeling that I don't love today is the fact that I have a yucky cold, my sinuses and ears are full, I'm feeling very lethargic and I think it's starting to go south (i.e. to my chest). So, I'm laying low today - again - and drinking lots of fluids. Today, our beloved Penn State Nittany Lions play in the Rose Bowl and that will be a big event - with dinner - down at Chris's sister Kellie's house.)

SO, among those of us that like to document/journal/scrapbook and etc. it has become a tradition to begin the year with a new "word" in mind. A theme for your year so to speak. Here's what fellow scrapartist/journalist/documenter Ali Edwards has to say about it:

The idea behind the one little word concept is to give yourself something to focus on throughout the year. As I stated in my newsletter back in January 2007, "A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow."
Also from that same newsletter:

Can you identify a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2009? It can be something tangible or intangible. It could be a thought or a feeling or an emotion. It can be singular or plural. The key is to find something that has personal meaning for you. This is not your mother's word or your spouse's word or your child's word - this is YOUR word. One little word can have big meaning in your life if you allow yourself to be open to the possibilities. And here's one thing that is totally interesting: sometimes a word will pop into your brain and it will not make any sense to you right now. Give it some time. Let it percolate a bit. I have often found that our hearts speak to us in very unique ways. Maybe this is a word you need to hear but just aren't ready for it yet. Again, be open to the possibilities.

I've had several considerations for my one little word this year. I thought about continuing with my word from last year, which I really liked, but I feel I didn't get the most out of. That word was "purposeful". I've also been considering "simplify" and "support". And, in the end, I have decided to go with ---- SIMPLIFY. This is just something that I've had on my mind a lot lately. It speaks to organization, yes, but also to just uncluttering my mind as well and really honing in on what's the most important to me in my faith, my family and my life in general. And simplifying is about removing all that hinders me from my focus in those areas of importance. Whether it's finally going through my desk and cleaning out the junk from old file folders, or sitting down and figuring out how my time can be BEST spent in serving others. In that area, for instance, I'm just all over the place and want to do so many things and then end up doing nothing. If I can just figure out how to simplify in that area. Maybe I can get a stash of handmade cards ready so that I can always send out a word of encouragement at a moments' notice. As it is right now - I always want to send a card - but, since I'm a scrapper, I feel it has to be handmade and then I don't have the time to make one right away and then the opportunity is lost. Or maybe I can decide that I'm going to give an hour a week to just visiting people that need a visit - or at least calling them. Whatever. Thinking things like this through and then formulating a simple plan will increase my opportunities to meet other people's needs in such a way as to actualy accomplish something. Another way the word may come into play is when I think about the everyday things that come up. I want to take a simpler approach and seize the moment, rather than getting so caught up in planning and preparation that the moment is lost. This could apply to the whole Christmas thing in general or to something like having someone over for supper.

I have lots of very creative friends. And I love the things that they do. But when I try to be like them, it's just harder for me. I guess it doesn't come naturally. But, I can also simplify by just being true to myself and doing things in my own simple way (by the way - simple does NOT mean sloppy or haphazard!) and being happy and confident in that.

And then there's the WHOLE issue of housecleaning! Ugh. It always seems like such an insurmountable task. But I have a great system - if only I would DO it. It would make my life so much more - yes, SIMPLE - if I would put my card system to use. My house would be virtually clean all the time and ready for whatever all the time and there wouldn't be these energy-sucking huge scrambles to prepare for company - if I even agree to have company because of the energy it often requires. To simplify would mean to get this system in order so that I am FREER to do what I really want to do with my time.

Hmmm, maybe my word should be "discipline" instead. But that sounds so negative! I like the sound of simplify better and I'm sticking with it!

So, happy new year out there. May it be full of blessings - and SIMPLE!

2008-12-29T11:07:00.003-05:00

Christmas is over, the company's all gone home and Chris is out having a personal shopping day so, I'm home alone with a whole day before me. And it's a day in which I don't even have to cook, which makes it a REALLY good day! :) We're taking the fam out for dinner tonight, in lieu of a trip to NYC. The trip just wasn't working out for everyone and, as it turns out, I couldn't have gone anyway with this lovely little broken toe I acquired last week. Sigh.

Both Chris and I have come away from all the holiday craziness with colds. He managed to get himself up and out before I got out of bed this morning. I took drugs. Nyquil and Advil Cold & Sinus. And, consequently, I had a pretty good night's sleep and feel a lot better this a.m.

It's a gorgeous, sunny day out there - but back to cold again. I heard it was quite warm yesterday, but I came home from church and, with the house empty and quiet, fixed my lunch (including lots of cookies) got the crossword out of the paper and totally CRASHED. It took me forever to wake up from the sugary stupor I fell into. But when I did, I went downstairs and curled up in front of the TV and Chris and I finally got around to watching Elf. SO funny! I felt worse and worse as the night went on, though. Hence, the before bed drugs. I guess all my crashing was needed because of the brewing cold.

So, now I'm ready for coffee #2 and a visit to SIStv and then into my scraproom with me. It's SUCH a mess in there. It's been very well used these past weeks. I've been doing a "December" photo-journal. I'm loving doing it and it will be such a nice album to have. I also need to get caught up on all my December ATC's. And I just want to clean up in general in there. I've really got an urge to go through all my supplies and purge and simplify. I need to go with that urge when I've got it! I'm feeling the urge to take down all the Christmas decorations - including the tree - as well. But Chris wants it up until after the New Year. Since we'll be gone on New Year's day - then January 2nd it all comes down! I love a new year!

May your new year be filled with blessings and possibilities and all you hope for!

2008-12-12T10:23:00.003-05:00

How would you like to help someone in need this holiday season without even spending a cent? All you have to do is go to my friend, Courtney's blog here and leave a comment and she will donate a can of food for each comment received. I love Courtney and I would love to make her have to rent a U-Haul for all of the cans! Please go and do a simple thing to help others...

PLUS, I am committing to making a difference myself. My local Wegman's has a "check out hunger" program every holiday season where you can make a donation to local people in need as you check out and I am committing to donate one dollar for EACH comment I get on MY blog - about whatEVER! Just let me know you're here and I will donate a dollar for each comment I receive to THIS post by December 21st. Thank you and GOD BLESS YOU! And may we each be truly thankful for all that we have - which is SO much more than SO many! :)

2008-12-09T09:44:00.002-05:00

Here it is! SIStv's newest collection - The Girl Next Door. It's very festive and girly and features MY very most favorite winter color combination. It's PERFECT for all your holiday projects and - what I love is that it's PERFECT for all your winter projects, too! (See some of both, below.) You can purchase it at the SIStv Boutique now! Enjoy!

2008-12-08T14:41:00.003-05:00

(As always, click on photo for a larger image)

So - I've been a busy girl! Okay, not decorating my house, like I was supposed to be, but, still. I found out last week that, due to the fact that SIStv doesn't really have a digi boutique anymore, and us "digi" FGirls (Fashionistas; Design Team members, etc.) weren't getting much to work on, and a few of the other girls have left the team for various reasons, I'm now a "regular old" Fashionista. Which means I will get the full-on SIStv paper collections with which I will make lovely layouts and projects in an effort to promote said collection and inspire members of SIStv. (I'm SO excited about this, too!) SO - my first collection came on Thursday and it's releasing this week, so I needed to get busy scrapping. Oh, what a hard, hard world I live in.... And those are the layout/projects I made with the collection. It's called "The Girl Next Door". The red, aqua and white are my very FAVORITE winter color combo.

In other news, I had just a lovely day yesterday. Well, it did start out nicely with a great Praise Sunday service. But I had to come home and drink a whole entire gallon of salty/sweet laxative liquid. Do you KNOW how much a gallon is? I daresay, not too many people drink that much liquid in a weekend, much less ONE day. It was definitely a matter of mind over matter, but I got through it. I started at about 12:30 when I got home from church and forced down the last glass around 7:30. UGH!!! I performed its intended purpose quite nicely - which, shall I say, made for quite a restless afternoon. I had to get up at 6 a.m. this morning to perform other bowel-related duties before being whisked off for my 2nd ever colonoscopy. Now THAT part was a breeze! We stopped for lunch at Perkins afterwards and I've been living in a little envelope of comfy, cozy fuzziness ever since. I could definitely go down and take a little nap. I need to make one card first and then I will. They told me not to do ANYthing today, nor to make any decisions, but I don't think they were referring to me deciding which patterned paper or stamp design to use... I think I'll be fine! They did remove a small polyp and some surrounding tissue, so I'll find out Monday at the dr's. whether or not I have six months or less to live or not ... I'm not worried. :)

2008-12-01T12:51:00.004-05:00

Happy December! First of all, feel free to click on a Christmas song over here -----> to get you in the mood! (Click "pop out" for more selections. And thanks Jody F., cuz I pretty much stole your entire playlist!) :)

I'm starting a new project today - December daily photos. And there's my first one. Yep. All the decorations have been brought downstairs and tomorrow I'll start the process - and for me it IS a process - of decorating. First up will be clearing all the decks of whatever is adorning all the display spaces at present. That in itself is a chore. Then I'll begin taking stuff out of the Christmas boxes (kinda like opening presents in and of itself!) and setting it all on my dining room table (yay! no cooking this week!). Some stuff goes in the same place year after year, but I also like to change things up, too. And, since we haven't been home for Christmas for the past two years and, therefore, I haven't decorated - and in the meantime we've purchased new living room furniture that involves fewer tables - it will be a bit of a challenge this year to see where everything will go. I may be thinning out some of the stuff, just keeping what I really really love. And that's as it should be, anyway.

On "black Friday" we went green. M&M and Chris and I went in search of trees to tag. We had success at the first place we stopped (our previous supplier no longer is...). We both ended up tagging frazier furs - theirs is a sweet size - not to small, but not too big. We got what I would guesstimate as about a 9-footer. I wanted to go big, but not dangerous this year and we tried to get something not too fat! Here's ours:
Purty, huh?
And, finally, here's a group shot of the fam and friends that we were blessed to have sitting all together around those two rented tables and 13 chairs. (A WONderful solution and one I'm SO glad I thought of.) As I sat down to eat with the buzz of everyone around me chowing down, conversing and enjoying each other, my heart felt truly full. And then, later, my stomach did, too. :)

So enough computer for one day. I have projects to finish and projects to start and tabletops to clear - and not enough time left in the day! As usual.

2008-11-22T12:09:00.003-05:00

I'm totally diggin' this Grandma stuff. *sigh* And one of the best things is being able to see and enjoy things all over again through the eyes of a 4-year-old. It's sweet.

Last night Chris and I and Dustin, Emily and Eva and Deborah and Gary all braved the VERY cold temps to watch Williamsport's Thanksgiving Parade. Did I mention that it was EXTREMELY cold? What were we thinkin'? But, dang it, sometimes you just have to get out in it and we did. And even though we all experienced moments of pain and torture, we all also managed to have FUN!

See? Grandma No. 1 (aka "Bobbie" to Eva and "Deborah" to me) is also reliving her childhood vicariously through Eva. It's a joyful thing.

She is just one of THE most delightful and easy to delight children. I even thought that beFORE she became my granddaughter. Which makes the fact that she's my granddaughter even more wonderful. I'm smitten. Can you tell?

We all met at a little Thai restaurant for dinner beforehand. Mmmm. That was good. We chose it because, well, we all (most of us, anyway, but Chris is coming along...) like Thai food, but also because the restaurant was located on the parade route and we could easily just park once and then hang out. After the parade, we went into the Bullfrog Brewery and got a little something to warm our spirits, if not our bodies. Deborah and I got Bailey's coffees, Eva got a hot chocolate and the rest of the clan got an icy cold beer. Hmmm. Well.

Matthew and Martha were waiting for us when we got back home. They'd had car troubles and had to have the ("new") car towed back to Mel's - for the 2nd time. I won't go into the whole long story, but if that didn't make for a bad enough day, as I greeted Martha in the kitchen as they were standing over some freshly-consumed pizza, I went to wipe what I thought was a smear of pizza off her lip and here, it was a bleeding wound she'd gotten that day when a ladder fell on her face. Yikes! Poor girl. She was a little red and swollen in the nose/mouth area, but we were all so very relieved to see that her teeth had not blackened and fallen out and felt that, at this point, they probably weren't going to. So we got her bandaged up and sent them out the door at around 9:30 p.m. - Martha hadn't even been back home yet for the day.

We'll see all of our beloved children and grandpeople/pets again this weekend. They all plan on coming over to watch the PSU game this afternoon. We'll feast on leftover "pigroast" from our church's anniversary celebration in August. Time to get it out of the freezer. And tomorrow they'll be back after church to share a meal. I'm about to go make the cheesy cauliflower chowder for that meal. After I do the song service. Which is going to happen right now.

Bye. Happy weekend!

2008-11-17T13:55:00.003-05:00

And that's November for ya. The mums are still going, but we're getting snow squalls, too. I kinda love it. I guess I'm just a fan of all kinds of weather (except tornadoes!). Of course everyone loves perfect weather days. But I don't mind a rainy day. And brutally cold days are just an excuse to stay inside curled up with a book or a movie or your honey (or any combination thereof) especially since we have one kickarse woodstove. And I'm always excited when we get our first snow - and our first snow that sticks. Which this one won't. But we're expecting squalls all week. Chris went and had the snow tires put on the car this a.m. After having to go work all winter for 4 years, I have learned to trust the snow tires. I'm driving to cards tonight, but no worries. Besides, it will prolly only make the road just wet - in most places. Where I live in Huntersville, though, can sometimes NOT be like most places. Where there's wet roads below, there's often slick/icy roads up here.

We had an online pajama party at SIStv Friday night. Betcha didn't even KNOW you could have an online pj party! We had all sorts of games and contests - and prizes. I got to be "The Bossy Scrapper". That's a game where a Fashionista goes online (and signs in) as this anonymous persona and "bosses" all the participants around (kinda like "Simon Says") and has them use certain scrap supplies and put together a layout. Of course, everyone's layout turns out differently. Here's the one I did ahead of time, just to make sure it would all "work":

I LOVE that photo of Matthew and Taco! Since we were also presenting SIStv's "The Night Owl" collection, those of us Fashionistas that were participating were to incorporate that somehow into each of our games/challenges. So I had each person I was bossing around use a dark color for their background (like "night") and then for their title they had to have the word "owl" or "night" in the title, or something related to either of those two words. Hence, my title of "Ggrrrowl (Not)". :) Fun stuff. It took about an hour and a half to play. We all had a fun time and it wasn't toooo hard for me to step out of my comfort zone and be bossy. Heh.

Well, enough typing. I'm off to work on some projects. Chris is - of all things - golfing. Yep. Well, if he can play today, then so can I! But I'll be warmer and drier! ;)

2008-11-10T11:29:00.005-05:00

We've got a new bi-monthly challenge going at SIStv. It's called the "Haute Spot". The first challenge was to create a layout using some sort of math equation. So that's the one I did, above. (Click image to see it larger). Chris has suggested that it should be 4-2= TWO happy families! :) But I like it the way it is! :)

Wow! It's been a busy week! But one thing we did was have dinner Friday night at M&M's new rental house. I can't believe how much they've done all week - and while working, too! There's a little collage of their 1st floor area. (Click image to see larger) I didn't get any good ones of the kitchen area. Except for this darling pic of little Taco, "playing cards" with us and looking at his beloved Matthew:

Awwwww. I feel another scrapbook layout coming on...

I have TWO new classes starting today, so I'm going to get going on those. It looks to be another FULL week! Enjoy!

2008-11-01T14:05:00.003-04:00

They're home! Home in Watsontown, PA! Exactly 30 minutes from our front door. I'm breathing a big sigh of relief and pleasure. Okay - I think I can believe it now - that Matthew and Martha have officially moved from AZ to PA! They talked about it off and on for several years, especially after visiting here or after hearing about family events/funerals that they weren't a part of. But, when they started talking about it after they were married (here at our house in PA last summer), they seemed pretty serious. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but over the next months it became clear that this was going to happen! And we rejoiced the day they pulled into our driveway from AZ - for the last time.

Now, after 4 months of living with us, finding jobs, getting a second car and renting a house, they are now OFFICIALLY and finally living on their own in PA! Ahhhh - another big sigh of relief and satisfaction. The relief is just knowing that they are now nearby and are going to be a REAL part of our lives, like, up close and in person. The satisfaction is that God has really provided all their needs for them, it went really well with them living here - we all survived quite nicely - now they can leave the land of limbo and start their new lives here and I think they're pretty happy.... Yes, ahhhhhhh.

Chris helped them move yesterday, as did Dustin. And I did in a small way - I brought the doggie "home". :) We got pizza and popped a bottle of champagne open to celebrate. All is well. God is good.

I guess I can believe it now... :)

2008-10-28T01:01:00.005-04:00

Credits: Page Template: Miss Mint ScrapSnap6 (Peppermint Creative) All other papers and elements: Autumn Medley (Shabby Princess Designs) Fonts: Arial (journaling); CK Holiday Spirit ("Little Miss"); 2Peas Gift ("Pumpkin"); Brush455 BT ("Painter") As always, click on image to enlarge for closer viewing.

Here's the latest digi I've done. I whipped it out Monday afternoon using a lovely invention called a template. Basically, the main design elements are already laid out (in this case, all of the photo spots) and you just add your photos and digital papers and embellishments. It makes it possible to get a page with lots of photos done so much more quickly. Gotta love that!

Martha made dinner for one the last times while they live here tonight and we had Dustin, Emily and Eva up as well. After dinner there were more autumn activity going on - i.e. the carving of the jack-o-lanterns.

Here's Matthew hard at work on his pumpkin masterpiece.

I'll bet you can't guess what it's going to look like...

SUCH hard work, man! But it was worth it. Just look at what was produced:

Matthew's is the big one on the bottom. Any guesses? The creators of the above jack's were, from top left: Chris, Dustin (LOVE that one - so cool - and scary!), Martha, Eva and on the bottom from the left: Dustin and Matthew.

In other ongoing news, M&M are planning on trying to get enough stuff moved in to their new rental house that they can spend the night there on Friday... Ohhhh, I'm gonna miss them. I know I keep saying that I'm just gonna miss Martha's cooking (which I WILL), but it's going to be awfully quiet around here. But tidier. Well, I'm truly thrilled for them and only because I know they'll only be a short ride away. Really not much farther than going to Wegman's to get groceries. If you don't count the driveway and the back roads or the traffic lights, really only a few miles. :) Anyway, they'll be HERE and not in AZ. I'm so excited for them to finally get to settle down and settle into their OWN place and finally feel like they've moved here and can start their new lives here.

We are blessed...

2008-10-24T10:41:00.007-04:00

My Senseo machine broke yesterday. This, of course prompted an immediate trip to Target for replacement.

Yes, I know we recently purchased this little lovely:

And it's a fine machine, it really is. But a coffee machine can only produce coffee that's as good as the coffee you put IN it - if you know what I mean. Yeah. So Chris has a tendency to buy the cheapest crap (oh! did I say "crap"? I meant "coffee", I really did...) and he makes it a leeeetle too strong for me. Sooooo.

Years ago, I purchased my Senseo. I only drink exactly two cups (mug-sized cups, admitedly) of coffee in the morning, anyway, and this way I could also treat myself to the occasional (okay, one a day) flavored coffee which I do highly enjoy. And, dang, those pods of coffee just taste REAL good. I use a variety of pods, but favor Melitta with the occasional Wolfgang Puck pod thrown in. Can we say "yum"?

So, when the machine finally gave up the ghost yesterday, Martha (who also appreciates the podded cuppa) and I looked at each and simultaneously shouted, "Starbucks!". Oh, sweeeeet. Yes, it is a sweet, sweet thing that our brand new Targhay also houses the beloved Starbucks - and all only 12.3 minutes away...

We felt it only our duty to try and be thrifty by checking out the pod machines at our also new and conveniently-located-just-3-stores-down-the-row-from-the-"T" Bed, Bath and Beyond. It's only right. Alas, they did NOT carry the Senseo, but I did manage to find a few things to throw in my cart while there. Believe me, I practiced GREAT restraint!

At Target, I found that the Senseo was not even on the shelf anymore (*gasp*)! But, thank all that is holy, there was ONE last machine left boxed up. I happily grabbed it and tossed it in my cart while simultaneously enjoying my Caramel Macchiato (venti, mind you). What a lovely experience.

Martha - who was supposed to be buying tube socks for Matthew - found this absolutely adorable little goodie:

Is that not to die for? And look at that little tail...oh my goodness! *swoon*

So, yes, I was supposed to be doing my banking yesterday- usually at least a very full morning and part of the afternoon is involved in order to do both our own and the church's bill paying, balancing and record keeping. By the time we got home from our happy chore, the morning was almost over - and so was my mojo. I pushed myself to at least get our banking done. And I just finished the church banking a few minutes ago.

I think I need another cup of coffee...

2008-10-17T11:11:00.003-04:00

(For Credits, see this layout on my SIStv gallery here. And, as always, click image for larger view.)

Just sitting here killing some time at the lovely Cedar Run Inn. We're all checked out, we've made our deposit for next year and we're just waiting until it's ice cream o'clock when we'll meander across the street to the Cedar Run General Store for lunch (i.e. waffle cone). It's pretty chilly today. We have a short hike planned for this afternoon and a short bike ride. If it's too chilly for the bike ride, I may persuade Chris into a little shopping in Wellsboro. I AM on vacation, ya know! We can't be having TOO much exercise!

One of the things I love about here is that even though there's no TV or phones in the rooms, there IS wireless, so we can bring the laptop and get on the internet. Yesterday, I spent some time cleaning - files, that is. And then I scrapped that page up there. Another plus for digi scrapping - you only need 4 supplies: computer, photos, digi elements and a photo editing program. Sweet.

Tomorrow, we're heading up to State College to try and get tickets for the PSU vs. Michigan game. Ohhhh, I LOVE going to the games. They are SO much fun - even if you don't like football. I don't care about ANY sports at all - EXCEPT PSU football. Chris (and his whole family) gradutated from PSU and, after we were married and he finished his last year there, I worked on campus. I was the secretary for the fraternities and sororities. I worked in a one-person (moi) office and the presidents of each of the frats and sororities would bring in projects and I kept all their records. Pretty FUN, let me tell ya. And I was only a few years older than all of them! Chris and I got invited to a lot of frat parties. (But not so much the sorority parties, for some odd reason...) Well, that was back in the day.... ANYway - consequently, we are both HUGE football fans. And this is a GREAT year for the team. We're currently undefeated for the season.

So, while Chris and I have been away for, lo, these 3 days, M&M have FINALLY been enjoying some alone time at the house. I feel bad for them. It's really hard to live with someone else and not have your own place. (Been there, done that - even with people I LOVED...) They are SO ready to move out and get their new life in PA started. They both have jobs now, so the housing pursuit is in full motion. But not having your own place still feels like limbo. So, anyway, I'm glad that they've at least had a little privacy for a few days. I wouldn't be surprised if they've found a place to live by the time we get back. DANG, I'm gonna miss Martha's cooking, though. Okay, them too, but the cooking. Oh, the cooking. (Drat! That means I'm gonna have to start back up my own self, soon. I'm SO over cooking...)

I'm off to get a little reading/crossword time in before we head out. Hard life, I know.
Happy weekend!
And GO LIONS!
:)

2008-10-14T17:29:00.002-04:00

It's one of those years. A year when we, who live in north central PA experience God's very best autumn artwork. The mums have been beautiful, the weather has been outstanding and the colors this year are just gorgeous. Our house is all "autumned up" with mums and pumpkins and corn stalks. And the ferns are still going strong - look how long they are! My porch is pure eye candy...

Those pumpkins look nice and all, but they ARE just beggin for some faces, aren't they? I think we'll tackle that next weekend...

On Sunday, the four of us piled in to the car and, after enjoying some true philly cheese steaks from the not-so-urban Forksville General Store, we headed to Canyon Vista Overlook in the Wyoming (in PA) State Forest. (Don't ask.) It was a GLORious day and, well, the view speaks for itsself.

There's M&M posing amongst the beautiful fall foliage at the overlook.

Martha collected some leaves to press for future paper/crafting projects - or just for fun. They sure were pretty...

So, we had a great day. And tomorrow, Chris and I are headed up to our beloved Pine Creek Valley for our annual 3-day, 2-night stay at the Cedar Run Inn. This will be our fifth (or more?) visit there. We get the package deal which includes both their fabulous dinner AND their fabulous breakfast. YUM! The food is truly wonderful. The atmosphere is sooooo relaxing and beautiful. The bike path runs along one side of the property and Pine Creek on the other. What could be better? Well, I guess that would be the Cedar Run General Store being directly across the street. And it's a small street at that. It's the location of some deeeelicious ice cream which, generally - because our breakfast and dinner are already supplied - we have for "lunch" when it's open. Oh, yeah. My very most fave flavor is Bittersweet SINphony. Coffee ice cream with bittersweet fudge swirls and fudge chunks. Oh my.

And, ya know, I've just been craving a belgian waffle lately, don't ask me why. So, we are going to begin our trip north tomorrow with a stop at Perkins for breakfast. Jealous, aren't you? You should be! :)

2008-10-06T21:44:00.003-04:00

I love it when Barb comes up while I'm here. It's just so much better when there's three of us "Hall girls". We had a great long weekend together. Went out to eat and chatted away Saturday night. Late to bed both Friday and Saturday nights. She went home Sunday afternoon and I spent 8.5 hours all told in Mom's skilled nursing room that day. Loooonnngggg day - especially with Barb gone. I think we were ALL tired by the end of the day.

I majorly slept in this a.m. Then, after lunch, Gail, one of Mom's "companions" (and a friend, to me AND Mom) picked me up and we went and had some coins appraised (no big deal) and then she took me to - hold your seats - Anthropologie. Okay. This is, hands down, the BEST store EVAH! Soooooo many deeelicious things in there and I was trying not to drool on everything and spend toooo much time. But I did manage to come away with some goodies AND have now officially begun my Christmas shopping! YAY!

We then went to the mexican restaurant next door and I had a couple of margueritas. Which, not surprisingly, made the remainder of my time with Mom FLY by. She didn't seem to notice that I was trying hard not to slur my words... And even if she did notice that I thought everything I had to say was brilliant and hilarious, she didn't say anything to the contrary... God bless her.

I was going to go to a few more stores tonight and get a bite to eat, but I just decided to save some money and stay home and make do with the apples and cheese that I already have here and that really need to be eaten before I leave tomorrow. And I think I need to go a pack and make sure that my lovely purchases will fit in my bag...

It's home tomorrow afternoon and the week went fairly quickly after all...

2008-10-03T09:31:00.003-04:00

There she is! And I'm so glad I decided to bring my (Kodak) camera at the last minute. I had Gail take this pic of Mom and I. Mom is definitely making progress in her physical therapy. She can sit on the edge of her bed (with help getting up there) and, though it was VERY painful and hard for her because of her bad knee on her "good" leg, she DID stand on it yesterday in PT by leaning on the p-bars. And they showed her in PT how she can actually assist the aides and turn her 3-person transfer into a 2-person transfer. The problem is that it's VERY hard work and, classically, if she can get away with someone else doing it for her, well, she will.

But, overall, I was really encouraged and now am somewhat hopeful that she CAN work to the point of being able to come home someday. The physical therapist explained how far she had come in just a week. Sooooo, there's HOPE! And that will change the tone and direction of our family meeting today, at least a little.

Barb is coming in a 2 p.m. today and our family meeting with SES and Dave on the speaker phone will begin as soon as she sets foot in the door. Then we'll all (or as many of us as can) will go down and meet with Mom and tell her whatever we've decided to tell her. She is still under the impression (on "planet Mary" as I like to call it) that the dr. will tell her she can start walking on her next visit - which isn't for 3 months. She doesn't want to be wheelchair bound, so she, in her mind, is still hoping for a walker. She, as is so like her, hasn't really heard that the dr. does NOT want her walking on that leg, so the walker is OUT. Therefore, she WILL, at best, be wheelchair bound. And I say at best, because I feel that it's a much better option than where she's been for the past almost 6 months now - bed bound and tied to the bed pan. UGH!

So, we'll see how our meeting goes. I'm of a mind that she should know and accept this because then she can begin working and pointing her life towards it, instead of living in the land of unfulfilled hopes and dreams. I know it's more bearable to believe what will not be, but I also believe that allowing her to continue thinking that way keeps her from doing the work she needs to do and it keeps her in a constant state of disappointment when what she hopes continues to not happen.

Okay, so I'm off for my 2nd cup of coffee and then a little walk outside (it's GORgeous!) before I head over to the skilled nursing unit for the rest of the morning.

2008-09-30T13:56:00.002-04:00

That's one of the three pages I'll be taking to Madison tomorrow when I go to visit my Mom for a week. With the summer craziness, I got 3 months behind. My plan is to mail them to her, so she gets some happy mail every once in a while (believe me, she needs it!), but I guess the next best thing is to deliver them in person. But this will be the last personal delivery for the year, anyway and probably not until spring of '09 at best.

Soooo, I'll be in Madison for a week. I hope to get in a little shopping at some of my fave places in while I'm there. Like here. And here. And here. Dare I go here? And, I'd LOVE to go here, but not alone. BUT, I'm bringing a SMALL suitcase and, therefore, will not be able to fit much extra in it! (I guess that's one good way to make sure I don't spend too much!) I'm also hoping that at least one of my siblings will be able to come and visit me while I'm there.

In the meantime, back home, there's some exciting stuff going on for Martha and Matthew. Martha is having a "cook-off" for a job that her and one other candidate are vying for. It's for a new brew-pub in Danville (the main con of the job is the distance) that she would be exec chefing. (The cook-off is at our house and doesn't involve the other guy - just Martha). She has another interesting job prospect that she'll be interviewing for on Monday - for a catering chef/event planner at a local college - which just happens to be next door to where Matthew is now working. I'm sure both places will want her and then she'll be in the lovely position of being able to choose.

And, the kids are itching now to get their own place. Limbo land is not an easy place to be and, understandably, staying with us has lost most of it's charm. It's not about us and I don't take it all personally, having been in the same situation myself. It's about not being able to set up your own household and get on with your life. And, especially coming here from AZ which is already a big enough change - well, they are READY to get on with it! This was a very necessary transition for them (staying here) and I know they are truly grateful for it. It's just that you get antsy after a while and really need your own place. Like I said, I get it.

Once they do move and are able to assess the situation with the gratitude that I know they have and that will be renewed once they're settled, I'm sure we will be treated to a lifetime of weekly meals at their home. :) Yeah. I'm gonna MISS that part!

M&M have also been looking at houses to rent. They're leaning towards staying right in the Williamsport area as they want to be near Matthew's job so at least one of them can take public transportation or walk, if needed, and just because they'd like to be closer to stuff to do. It's fun hearing about the different places they're looking at. The gas prices (for heating) are knocking them for a loop, though. Unfortunately, I don't think that's going to get much better, even though the auto gas prices are steadily going down right now...

But, anyway, I guess it's forseeable that they could move while I'm gone. I kinda doubt it will happen that fast, but it could. And Chris could have to clear out the cookstove and start a fire. And the leaves could be amazing when I get back. (Hope I don't miss them!)

I can't believe it, but I'm actually NOT taking my camera with me to Madison. I decided I didn't want to be loaded down with it. I just want to kinda travel "light" this time - even, as I said before, with a smaller suitcase. I figured I can do my laundry while I'm there. And what am I going to take photos of, anyway? I don't know - at the last minute I might throw in my little Kodak because I can barely stand the thought of NO camera... We'll see.

Well, I'm off to finish packing.

2008-09-27T09:17:00.004-04:00

Wow. My "baby" is 28 years old today! How in the heck did THAT happen? He's a fine young man and I'm proud of him. He's a husband now and a "step" daddy. I look forward to seeing what he will do with his life from here. He has many gifts. I pray he and his family will be greatly blessed!

Chris and I had the pleasure of eating out last night with our whole little family (minus one cat, one dog and one grandchild, that is). We went to the Selin's Grove Brewing Co. It was a rather long trip down in the rain due to an accident (not involving us), but we had good food, good libations and a good time.

I've had a busy week working on little gifties and ATC's for my fellow Fashionistas (those who signed up for the exchange, anyway). Here's my little projects:

Shhh, don't tell anyone, but that's one of the littles boxes that I altered. They're for holding ATC collections. And since not all of the Fashionistas are making gifts, but all are making ATC's, I thought I'd make a little something for them to store the cards in, as you can see below:

Yeah, that's kind of a lot of room - for ONE card. But it's meant to hold all 22 cards that we'll each be getting...

And that's a closeup of one of the 22 cards I made. They're all pretty much the same, just with different colors to them. I wanted to make a card that would express how much my girls mean to me and how much they inspire me.

In other news, Martha has a friend coming in for a visit today for the remainder of the weekend. We love Anna, too - it will be great having her. Tomorrow, some of the musicians from Valley Mosaic will be joining Matthew at Lycoming Valley Baptist Church where he has been leading the music Sunday mornings. And, in the evening, they will all play again at the VM's weekly gathering. So, Chris and I are planning on attending that...

Monday, I'll tackle getting all my goodies mailed off and then Tuesday I'll be packing to go to Madison for a week long visit with my mom. Wednesday a.m., before flying out of H-burg in the afternoon, I'll be getting a lovely mammogram. Won't that be nice? Always so enjoyable - NOT. I hope they have the new squeeze-reduction technology available...

So, TODAY, being all caught up on projects and all, I will be finishing up our song service for tomorrow, maybe cleaning up a bit around here and then MOSTLY laying back doing whatever I please. Tonight, PSU plays it's first "real" - as in possibly challenging - game of the season. We've crushed everyone so far, so tonight we'll see if it was because we're so good or they were so bad... Looking forward to that, because I suspect it's the first.

Happy Saturday, all!

2008-09-20T10:48:00.003-04:00

Here are two of the adorable little projects I've made for my class with Wilna Furstenberg this week (see link at left). They are both made from Starbuck's products - the first from a cup (yes, a cup!) and the second from the cup sleeve! Ha! Is that not cool? Wilna (a fellow Fashionista) has done all the painted artwork that we were able to download and print out for use. You can see a page-by-page of the sleeve mini on my SIS gallery here. I haven't put anything yet in the cup book - not sure where I'll go with it, but it's VERRRRRY fun!

Today we're heading out for probably what will be our last bike ride of the season. We're going up to the Pine Creek area and then we're going to eat out on the beautiful deck of the Manor Hotel which overlooks the creek. It's getting chilly out at night - so we will have to dress accordingly. It's so beautiful up there, though. Love it.

Matthew's in the process of putting together a song service for the church he's working for. How ironical and amazing is THAT (because, of course, I do the very same thing for my own church every week). So, it's very hard for me to concentrate on writing because I can't help singing along to all these great praise songs (he's working off a Lincoln Brewster CD).

Have a GREAT weekend!

2008-09-15T12:17:00.003-04:00

(Link here for credits) (Click layout for closer view and to read journaling)

One of my SISters passed away this week. (Since our website is ScrapInStyletv.com, we call each other SISters - and the community really feels sisterly...). Her name was Aleida (screen name ricanlaw) and she was 41 years old with 2 young children and a husband she was still so in love with. She'd been at SIStv just as long as I have. While I didn't "know" her well - she wasn't active on the message boards - I was familiar with her work and her name as she would post layouts and leave comments on other people's layouts. She was tragically killed instantly as a car ran a red light and struck her broadside as she was crossing an intersection on the green light. Thank God, her children were not with her. I've started a thread on the website message boards (here) for SISters who would like to honor her memory by "lifting" one of her layouts.

"Lifting", in the scrapping world (as in "scrap"lifting - related to "shop"lifting), is a high high compliment and so, I thought it would be a fitting way to honor her. So the above is my lift of one of her layouts. If you look at the thread I started (again, here), you can see Aleida's layout that I lifted.

It may seem trite, but it truly does make you pause to think about how precious life really is and how quickly it can change or be over.

What would you do differently if you thought today would be your last day on earth?

What would you do differently if you thought today would be your loved ones' last day on earth?

Now - DO it!
Blessings...

2008-09-12T23:30:00.003-04:00

Here's my first photo that I've scrapped from the wedding - at least it was taken AT the wedding reception, if not of the bride/groom. As you can see it was just a gorgeous location and day... (click on the photo for a little closer viewing). That's my nephew, Calin (Bill's son) and his girlfriend, Brittany. For the digi credits, check my post of the layout in my SIStv portfolio.

Just a rainy, yucky, ugly day - ALL day. But I didn't really care. I met Deborah for lunch today after running a couple errands and then we ran a few errands together after that, too. Came home just in time to pop some veggies in the oven roast after Martha prepared what turned out to be a deeelicious cheese and broccoli stuffed chicken breast. I don't EVER want them to move out!

They, on the other hand, are really craving their own place and, of course, I can't blame them. I've been in their situation more than once and even though I adored my in-laws, it's just plain hard to live with someone else. Nothing is really "your own", you feel like you're in limbo, you don't have any privacy. It's just hard. So I don't at all take it personally, I truly do completely understand. We, on the other hand, are GREATLY benefitting, though - especially in the culinary realm - from their presence. Martha loves to cook and I think it makes them feel like they're contributing - which they majorly ARE!

I've got some projects I really need to get to (scrapping, of course) over the next couple weeks - before I fly back to Madison, so the busy factor will pick up a bit again. I have a few appointments and meetings to shuffle in the mix, (and a little "Dancin' on the Deck" party) but should mostly be able to shut myself away in the scraproom. I'm really looking forward to that! Honestly, I just never get tired of it.

I'll be hosting cards (pinochle) here Monday, in substitution for one of the gals that can't do it. So, that will be fun. But I'm gonna have to get a few things ready for that on Sunday/Monday, so that will take a little time. I'm going to make Pumpkin Pie Cake for dessert. Mmmmm. That alone is reason enough to love fall - and it IS getting VERY fall-like around here!

Tomorrow, Matthew and I will duke it out over the use of the computer - since he's leading the music at Jack's church, we BOTH need to put our song services on PowerPoint. I'm gonna go first and get done before a trip to the chiropractor (i.e. Chris). Then tomorrow afternoon, it's Penn State football time in the TV room! YAY!

Mom, I SWEAR I'm going to call you before the game starts, though! :)

All this is making me sleepy! I'm off to go read (about two paragraphs) in bed.

2008-09-09T22:01:00.002-04:00

I've been enjoying having time to "play" lately and one of things I've been doing is taking some classes at SIStv. The latest one I completed was taught by fellow Fashionista Jo-Anne te Raa and I made the above project. I am just LOVING how these amazingly talented ladies are stretching me and challenging me. Truly.

NEXT, I have signed up for the class you'll see a blinkie for on the left - taught by Wilna Furstenberg, not only a fellow Fashionista, but also my own "Big SISter Fashionista". Awwww. I love her so. We share a strong faith in God and she is just super inspiring and talented and sweet! Her class is open to anyone reading this blog, of course, and begins next Monday for 10 (work) days. I can't wait! You can also link to her blog at the left in my list of Fashionista blogs.

In other news, I ended up taking Chris to the ER last night. He had been having some trouble swallowing and his lips and mouth were feeling tingly and numb. He came down around 1:30 a.m. (yes, I was still up!) and couldn't sleep but wasn't ready to take a ride yet. He took some benedryl and felt a little better. But by the time I made it to bed and got only a little sleep he woke me up and felt he should go to the ER - also on the recommendation of the tele-nurse we must call. There were quite a few causes as we explored the subject online and it just wasn't something we wanted to mess around with. Plus, he was feeling worse again and had even thrown up.

As it turns out, our suspicions were correct - he was having an allergic reaction. To what, we aren't exactly sure, but have some ideas (food - like melon and tomatoes that may be triggering a pollen allergy). Anyway, of course, the dr. is trained to treat your symptoms, not figure out what causes them!

So, he was given an injection of Pepcid (did you know it contains an antihistimine? Probably explains why I DON'T get allergy symptons anymore - because I take Pepcid AC almost daily!) in the shoulder and two injections in his backside - one a steriod and the other benedryl. After he showed signs of improvement, they sent him home. We laid our heads back down on our pillows at 5:30 a.m. - just as a thunderstorm was passing through. He DID actually get up at 8 a.m. and go to work. I, however, did not. Well, okay - I don't have a job. But, yeah, I slept til 9 a.m. and then the old brain started going and I just got up.

He's feeling much better tonight. And giving up the voluminous amount of watermelon he's been eating. AND, I guess it's a good thing our neighbor's tomatoes are done because we've been eating large quantities of those, too. In fact, Chris made a DEElicious tomato/watermelon salad on Sunday. I guess it's no wonder that he had the reaction he did if those foods are, indeed, the cause. And, to top it off, he had tomato soup for part of his supper last night.

All is well now and he has some drugs for the next two mornings, so, hopefully it will all calm down and life will return to normal, as well as our sleep patterns...

So - goodnight! :)

2008-09-01T08:46:00.003-04:00

There they are. The newest Barlow family. Emily is officially Mrs. Barlow. Dustin is officially a step-dad (even though Eva calls him "daddy") and we are officially "step" grandparents. But, since there has never been a bio-dad or a second set of grandparents in Eva's life, Dustin IS her daddy (and has been) and we are just whole-heartedly filling the grandparent role (and have been) and we're tossing the "step" and just embracing the fact that we ARE her other grandparents. My heart is very very full....

The wedding ceremony was unspeakably beautiful. Everything that was said was well thought out and full of meaning. And so much was said. So much to think about and chew on and be challenged by and be inspired by. There wasn't a dry eye in the adorable little chapel they were married in.

So now all the festivities are over and life returns to normal. Well, normal as we know it. It is Labor Day, so we (Chris, Matthew, Martha and I) are planning to go to Rickett's Glen and just laze around all day. We're taking leftover food from our big shebang on Friday night. And we're taking the canoe and kayaks. And beach stuff. And books and blankies and pillows. We're just going to lay around or play around all day. I think there will be LOTS of laying around since I had a little nightmare last night and woke EVERYone in the house in an effort to wake mySELF up... Dustin and Emily and Eva may join us and a few other people. We'll see. At any rate, it's a gorgeous day and we aim to NOT labor in it.